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IROQUOIS AND CONCORD 



By SALEM ELY 





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Very respectfully, 
SALEM. ELY. 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY 

OF THE VILLAGES OF 

IROQUOIS AND MONTGOMERY 

AND THE 

TOWNSHIP OF CONCORD 



1818 TO 1918 



By 

■ SALEM ELY 

Iroquois, III. 



Regan Printing House 
Chicago, in. 



■11 ^s- 



Copyright 1918 by SALEM ELY 



■ 

MAR 27 1919 /. \^ 



A515()47 



TO THE MEMORY OF MY MOTHER 
WHO DEVOTED A LONG LIFE OF 
SERVICE TO THIS COMMUNITY 
AND TO HER FAMILY, THIS BOOK 
IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 
BY THE AUTHOR 



PREFACE 

This Centennial History has been written at 
the earnest solicitation of my personal friends, 
I'rank Gilbreth, County Superintendent of 
Schools, and Frank Hooper, Circuit Judge of 
this Judicial District. The only reward they 
offered me w^as the pleasure to be derived from 
a siege of hard work, during a siege of extremely 
hot weather. I feel sure that these gentlemen, 
who have the best interests of their constituents 
at heart, and knowing my aversion to labor from 
the standpoint of personal experience, would not 
have requested me to do this thing unless it was 
for the benefit of the community. 

If this book should be found to have merit, the 
credit should be given to these gentlemen. If it 
appears in attractive dress, the Publisher should 
share this credit. Its defects, which are many, 
will be charged to me. 

Acknowledgment is made to Mrs. R. F. Karr, 
Marion Karr, John H. Francis, Gurdon S. Hub- 
bard's Autobiography, Iroquois County Times- 
Democrat and Beckwith's History of Iroquois 
County, for some of the data which has been 
found available. Very respectfully, 

Salem Ely. 

Iroquois, Illinois, 
August, 1918. 



INTRODUCTION 

I have been requested to prepare a brief in- 
troduction to the following contribution to the 
local history of Iroquois County. It is with 
pleasure that I do so. The author, for many 
years, has resided in one of the most historic 
places in northern and eastern Illinois, and is 
especially fitted to write of the subject of which 
he treats. Almost a century ago, Gurdon S. 
Hubbard and his pioneer associates came to "The 
Iroquois Country," as it was then called, and 
estabhshed an Indian trading post near what is 
now the site of the Village of Iroquois. 

The Indian woman, "Watch-E-Kee," later 
called "Watseka," who has left her name and 
memory as her sole legacy to the people of this 
community, enters into the history, romance, and, 
I may add, the tragedy and pathos, of those 
pioneer days. 

While I have not had the pleasure of exam- 
ining the manuscript at length, I feel confident 
that many matters of interest to the people 
of this county concerning its early history, and 
pioneer life in general, have been touched by the 
author in an entertaining and instructive manner. 

Frank L. Hooper, 

Judge, Twelfth Judicial Circuit. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The Indian Village 1 

Iroquois and Montgomery 3 

Catharine Maggs — Portrait 5 

Bunkum — Name Given in Derision 7 

Iroquois — An Indian Name 9 

Famous Trial 10 

Watch-e-Kee — The Indian Maiden 11 

Ancient Land Marks 14 

Gurden S. Hubbard's Trail 16 

Patriotic Celebrations 19 

Old Settlers' Reunion 19 

Hon. John Wentworth — Address 21 

James H. Reese — Narrative 31 

Hon. C. A. Lake — Speech 33 

Pioneer Story^ by Foster Moore 35 

Address^ by Judge Franklin Blades 38 

Marion Karr — Portrait 42 

Pioneer Story^ by Micajah Stanley 48 

Pioneer Story^ by Thomas Barker ^ 55 

Pioneer Stor}^^ by Hiram Vennum 61 

Pioneer Story^ by Judge S. R. Moore 63 

Story by Moses H. Messer 65 

Pioneer Settlers Assembled, Names of 74 

A Memorable Home-Coming 77 

George Ade — Address 78 

Saloons and no Saloons 82 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Inventions by Iroquois Citizens 83 

Influential Citizens 84 

Young Men's Opportunity . 86 

Cora (Fry) Brown — Portrait 87 

Branches of Business 89 

Fraternal Societies 90 

Iroquois — Advancement 91 

Clem H. Hughes— Portrait 91 

Concord Township — Location 93 

Concord Township — Organization 94 

Peter B. Strickler — Portrait 94 

Prominent Citizens 95 

Benjamin Fry — Portrait 96 

Early Settlements 96 

Pioneer Settlers 97 

A New Country 98 

The American Indians 99 

Period of Slow Development 100 

Milk Sickness 102 

Natural Attractions 103 

The Early Barn Dance 104 

The Old Time Spelling School 105 

Worthy Citizenship 106 

Opportunity — A Poem 108 

The Early Schools 108 

The Early School House 110 

The Early School Yard 113 

The School Master 114 

Methods of Teaching 115 

Results 118 

Religion 119 

Mrs. Benj. Ely— Portrait 122 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Early Clmrches 123 

The Pioneer Preachers 125 

Concord in the Civil War 127 

Change in PojDiilation 129 

Abraham Carpenter — Portrait 129 

Period of Development 130 

R. F. Karr — Portrait 137 

Concord and the World War 139 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 

The Indian Village 

When the first white men came to the spot 
where now are located the villages of IMontgom- 
ery and Iroquois, they found a large settlement 
of Indians. Their village embraced both sides 
of the Iroquois river. The tribe belonged to that 
powerful nation known as the Pottawatomies — 
a nation inclined to be peaceable and friendly — 
and this tribe, prompted by the spirit of their 
own nation, welcomed to their village the white 
men with open arms. This was a most fortunate 
circumstance, for the early white settlers, being 
so few in number, were compelled to rely for their 
safety upon the friendship of the Indian, rather 
than upon their own strength in defense. The 
Indians as a race represented a wide range of 
intelligence and civilization according to their 
nations. They were not the same in their tribal 
customs and orderly methods. Some tribes were 
advanced to a point closely approximating the 
civilization of the white people of that day. Other 
tribes were so barbarous that thev tortured to 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



death their prisoners of war and ate the bodies. 
The intelligent groups had their laws and cus- 
toms, their religious and social institutions and 
traditions and they lived up to their ideals of 
commercial honesty and social honor. Had this 
tribe been hostile towards the early white settler 
instead of friendly and hospitable, the commu- 
nity might have been delayed many years in its 
settlement and development. In justice to the 
red man, who was here before us, for his friend- 
ship and many acts of neighborly kindness, there 
is due his memory a sentiment of gratitude from 
the white race. 

This beautiful Indian village was situated on 
rather a high table land with small running 
streams fioAving into the river, which afforded ex- 
cellent natural drainage. It was surrounded by 
a bank of primeval forest which tempered the 
cold winds of winter. Within the village was a 
profusion of stately trees w^hich towered high, 
affording ample shade in summer. Being little 
undergrowth, the ground was carpeted with a 
luxuriant coating of gi'ass, and the soil consist- 
ing of sandy loam, the streets were almost free 
from mud. According to the testimony of the 
early pioneer, the spot was most beautiful and 
picturesque — a feature that has been retained to 



THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 



the present time. Iroquois is still noted for the 
beauty of its natural scenery. Here nestled the 
Indian village, its wigwams and play-grounds 
and gardens. On the south bank of the river 
was its burying ground. It ^yas here the chil- 
dren played their innocent games of childhood 
and the young men planned for the chase. The 
old men gathered in groups and smoked their 
pipes and told their stories of adventure while 
the women worked the gardens and prepared the 
simple meal. Here too the young lover wooed 
and won his dark mate and plighted his eternal 
love and devotion. Here the young Indian 
maidens gathered in clusters when the evening 
shadows fell and promenaded or gave their social 
functions. This tribe had its social laws and cus- 
toms, which they observed. They loved their 
families and were attached to their homes. 

Iroquois Village 

The present village of Iroquois was platted by 
Henry Moore, June 7, 1836, as the town of Con- 
cord, but was not incorporated until thirty-nine 
years later. It originally contained fifty-two 
blocks, eleven streets running north and south 
and five streets running east and west. These 
streets have names as follows: From east to 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



west — Short, Clinton, Main, Hamilton, Bunker- 
hill, Lexington, Spring, Pickawick, School, Sem- 
inary and Western. From north to south — Lin- 
coln, Chester, Walnut, Iroquois and Water. In 
1845 Aaron M. Goodnow, the owner, by vacating 
deed, vacated all of the original plat lying west 
of Hamilton street. Dunning's addition, a strip 
adjoining the original plat on the north, was laid 
out some years later; its streets are not named. 
The corporate limits extend south to the north 
bank of the Iroquois river and the town lies on 
both sides of Main street, which is identical with 
the old Hubbard Trail. At the present it con- 
tains a population of approximately three hun- 
dred people. 

Montgomery, which was laid out a year earher, 
lies just south of the river and was first in point 
of settlement and prominence. It also was built 
up on both sides of the Hubbard Trail. The 
original village of Iroquois was surveyed about 
the same time as Montgomery and adjoins the 
latter on the east; it also lies south of the river. 
This village never contained more than several 
houses at any one time. The streets of Mont- 
gomery and the original Iroquois have never been 
vacated, although both villages have been extinct 
for over half a century. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 



This group of towns adjoining one another, 
and being surveyed about the same time when 
the country was new and the population was ex- 
tremely sparse, can be explained only in one way : 




Mrs. Catharene Maggs, thirty-five years a resident of the ancient town 
of Montgomery and the oldest lady now living in Concord Township. She is 
jolly and looks on the bright side of life. She will soon celebrate her 
eighty-sixth birthday. 

Iroquois county had just been blocked out from 
the territoiy of Vermilion county on the south 
and from Cook county on the north, and the 
county seat of the new county thus formed was 
about to be located, As many as eight other town 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



sites were surveyed in the county about the same 
time and for the same purpose — to capture the 
prize. Men in the early day were selfish and 
ambitious as they are now, and the owner of a 
large tract of land who had political influence, 
naturally desired to secure the advantages and 
profits that the location of the county seat on his 
premises would bring. With him it was not a 
question of the greatest good to the largest num- 
ber, not the location that would insure the great- 
est convenience to the people as a whole, but the 
one that would most advance his individual in- 
terests. In the scramble, however, whether on 
account of its greater political influence, or be- 
cause of its early prominence and being located 
on the main ti^aveled highway from Danville and 
Vincennes to Chicago, ^lontgomery won the 
prize and became the first seat of justice of Iro- 
quois county in 1837. 

The first county records were kept at the house 
of Isaac Courtright, three-fourths of a mile south 
of the village, the farm now being owned by R. F. 
Karr. The first commissioners' court was held 
in a private house located in the village, owned by 
William Armstrong. The town was named after 
the proprietor, Richard Montgomery. The first 
tavern in Montgomery was kept by Timothy 



THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY 



Locy in 1831. David Meigs, Richard Montgom- 
ery and John White followed as proprietors of 
the public inn. The first white men to locate 
within the town were Benjamin Fry, George 
Courtright, Richard Courtright, John White, the 
widow McColloch and sons, William and Solo- 
mon, and many others whose names have been 
mentioned in connection with the early history 
of the township and w^ho were more or less closely 
associated with the very early events of the twin 
villages — Montgomery and Concord. 

Named Bunkum 
This group of towns, at the beginning of their 
history, were derisively called Bunkum. The 
name in time grew so popular that they were not 
generally known by their correct names. The 
term. Bunkum, has a well authenticated origin. 
It originated from an incident in the Congress 
of 1819-21. A member from ^North Carolina 
delivered a lengthy oration on the Missouri ques- 
tion, and in the course of which he very naively 
told those who still remained listening that he was 
only talking for "Bunkum." The term became 
popular as a slang word for empty talk or unreal 
professions and is used on both sides of the 
Atlantic, 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



Its original application to these towns has been 
explained in this manner, which is not authenti- 
cated but appears credible : A party of strangers 
w^ere passing through on their way to Chicago 
and, finding there was an ample supply on hand 
of that which maketh the heart glad, they decided 
to remain over night. They indulged freely at 
one of the inns and then strolled out to view the 
town. In the bloom of their hilarity, one of the 
number was observed to throw Iiis hat into the air 
and exclaim, "This is Bunkum!" Whether he 
referred to the town or something else is conjec- 
ture — the thought upj)ermost in his mind at the 
moment will never be known; but the contents 
of his stomach will not admit of doubt. From 
this incident the by-standers took up the word and 
passed it around. It rapidly spread. Letters 
posted anywhere in the United States addressed 
to Bunkum, Illinois, would find their way to the 
place. 

The Government, however, never recognized 
the name and the post office continued under the 
name of Concord. In 1871, when the Big Four 
established a station in Concord, they named it 
Iroquois. Then in 1875, when the town of Con- 
cord was incorporated, the village was officially 
named Iroquois, The Governnient fpllQw^d the 



THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY 



precedent and changed the name of the post office 
to Iroquois. 

"Iroquois" is an Indian name and received its 
prominence from a powerful Indian Nation by 
that name. Iroquois river was named after this 
nation, then the Iroquois territory, then the town 
south of the river, then Iroquois county, then the 
present railroad station, then the present village 
of Iroquois, and finally the Government fell in 
line and named the post office Iroquois. 

While the word Bunkum has had a tenacious 
life, it has long since fallen into obnoxious desue- 
tude, and is never used in connection with the 
town except by some resident who, after a Rip 
Van Winkle absence of many years, returns to the 
scenes of his childhood. 

The first election held in the county was held 
in Montgomery in 1833. The first white child 
born in the township was Wm. L. Eastburn in 
1834. The marriage of George Courtright to 
Agnus Newcomb is believed to have been the first 
to take place in the county. The license was ob- 
tained at Danville and the ceremony was per- 
formed at the house of Isaac Courtright, where 
the county records were kept, 



10 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Famous Trial 
In the month of ]May, 1836, Montgomery was 
the scene of a famous trial. A man named Thom- 
asson had been indicted in Cook county, charged 
with the murder of Charles Legree, a resident 
of the village of Chicago and a blacksmith by 
trade. Legree, with fifty dollars in his pocket, 
started to walk from Chicago to Joliet. On his 
way he was seen in company with a man on horse- 
back. The second day his lifeless body was dis- 
covered near the road and the man who had been 
seen with him on horseback the day before had 
disappeared. The story rapidly spread and a 
man named Thomasson was finally arrested and 
was identified by several witnesses as the same 
man who was seen in Legree's company. A knife 
identified as the property of Legree, was also 
found in the possession of Thomasson. A change 
of venue was taken to Iroquois county and the 
prisoner was brought to Montgomery, the new 
county seat, for trial. In the absence of a court 
house the trial was held in the house of Richard 
Montgomery. Thomas Ford, then a member of 
the Supreme bench, was the trial judge. The 
evidence was all circumstantial, as Thomasson 
persisted in his plea of not guilty, and there was 
no eye witness to the crime, other than the guilty 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 11 

party. The people and the defendant were both 
represented by able counsel. The trial lasted 
more than a day and the circumstantial evidence 
submitted to the jury convinced them beyond a 
reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt. They 
were out but a few hours when they returned a 
verdict of guilty. The sentence was pronounced 
the same day by the judge, and the day set for 
execution about three weeks later. The con- 
demned man was hanged from a walnut tree 
which was then standing on the north bank of 
the river near the wagon bridge. The tree stood 
there for some years after as an object of awe 
and curiosity to the traveler who passed by on 
the Hubbard trail. It now seems strange that 
the first person to commit murder in Cook county 
should be tried, convicted and executed in what 
is now the extinct village of Montgomery. 

An Indian Maiden 
A pathetic story is told of the tragic life of a 
young and pretty Indian maiden, named Watch- 
e-kee, from whom Watseka, the present county 
seat of Iroquois county, derived its name. She 
was the niece of an Indian chief of the Pottawato- 
mies, and was born and reared in the Indian vil- 
lage which peacefully nestled in the sheltering 



12 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

forest where the towns of Montgomery and Con- 
cord are now situated. It is said that this maiden 
was not only charming in manner but was bright 
and intelligent. The story has interest not only 
for its local coloring but because it gives a glimpse 
into the social side of life at a time when the red 
man's civilization was yielding to that of the white 
man. Beckwith's History of Iroquois County 
gives the story as follows : 

"When Col. Hubbard came among the Indians 
on the Iroquois, he soon saw the necessity, as a 
matter of protection and safety, to form more in- 
timate relations with them than that of mere 
trade, and therefore in the course of time mar- 
ried — according to the Indian custom — an Indian 
woman by the name of Watch-e-kee, who was 
the niece of the Pottawatomie chief, Tamin, 
whose village was then on the present site of Con- 
cord ( Buncombe) . In answer to an inquiry made 
by the writer as to this matter. Col. 'Hubbard 
says : 'I have no wish to deny the fact of her being 
my wife, given me by her uncle (the chief) when 
she was about ten, in the place of his own grown 
daughter, whom he presented to me and whom I 
declined. This little girl was to take her place, 
and was, under my pledge to make her my wife, 
brought to me by her mother at the age of four- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY 



teen or fifteen. She bore me a daughter, who died 
at about eight months old. I lived with this 
Indian woman about two years in harmony. Our 
separation was by mutual agreement, in perfect 
friendship, and because I was about to abandon 
the Indian trade, and of course my connection 
with her tribe. Both thought each other's hap- 
piness would be promoted by separation, as it 
doubtless was.' The names of the father and 
mother of Watch-e-kee, or Watseka, as she was 
called by the whites, appears to have been un- 
known to both Hubbard and Vasseur, as they so 
state to the writer. Watseka was born at the 
Indian village at the site of 'Buncombe,' about 
the year 1810. She is said to have been a hand- 
some, intelligent and superior Indian woman. 
After her separation from Hubbard, according to 
the Indian custom, and his retiring from 'Bun- 
combe,' she in 1828 married Noel Le Vasseur, 
who had been left in charge of the post. Her 
tribe, except a remnant, were removed west after 
the treaty of October, 1833, and she and Vasseur 
then removed to Bourbonnais Grove, on the Kan- 
kakee river. She bore him several children, some 
of whom are still living in Kansas. She went 
west in 1837 with the remnant of her tribe, and 
located near Council Bluffs, and there married a 



14 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Frenchman by the name of Bergeron. When 
she went west JNIr. Vasseur took her in a carriage 
as far as the Mississippi river, and it is said made 
ample provision for her, and that she was in com- 
fortable circumstances until her death. 

"About the year 1863 she returned on a visit to 
Mr. Vasseur, at Bourbonnais Grove, and from 
there she plodded her weary way afoot and alone 
to the scenes of her childhood, and visited the 
graves of her kindred and tribe near Middleport 
and Buncombe. Sadly she left, as the last Potta- 
watomie to set foot on the soil of Iroquois county, 
and returned to Kansas, and about the year 1878, 
in the Pottawatomie Reservation in Kansas, 
passed to 'the happy hunting grounds.' 

"Noel Le Vasseur died at his home in Bourbon- 
nais Grove in December, in 1879, several months 
after he visited Iroquois during the Old Settlers' 
Reunion held in the Dunning Grove." 

Ancient Land Marks 

None of the buildings that were erected before 
1850 are standing on either side of the river, and 
most of the great forest trees that adorned the 
place in its early history have disappeared. The 
old Fowler home is still standing on the north 
side of Lincoln street. It was first occupied by 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 15 

Doctor Fowler, a practicing physician of an early 
day, who owned the farm upon which it stands. 
It was built in 1854 by Peter Frownfelter, and is 
now owned by Wm. Dale of Kankakee. 

Another land mark, equally prominent, is the 
two-story frame dwelling standing on the hill on 
the west side of the old Hubbard trail. It was 
built two years later by Daniel Ayres, its first 
occupant. It afterwards became the home of 
Charles Sherman, then John L. Donovan, then 
Peter Frownfelter, who for many years was the 
postmaster of Concord and the school treasurer 
of town 27. It is now owned and occupied by 
John H. Francis. These buildings w^ere con- 
structed from lumber hauled by ox team from 
Logansport and LaFayette, Indiana. 

Another dwelling, built several years later, 
faces Main street from the east. It was occupied 
for many years by F. M. Karr. The present oc- 
cupant is Abraham Carpenter, an old resident, 
and one of the five remaining veterans of the 
Civil War residing in the township. He has 
reached the mature and interesting age of 82 
years and is still one of the hale and hearty, mo- 
toring through the country in his Ford. The 
material in this building was hauled by horse 
team from Kentland, Indiana. 



16 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

The old town of Montgomery has none of its 
ancient buildings remaining to tell the story of 
its former prominence. Its public inns and busi- 
ness houses and dwellings, once the rendezvous 
of the pioneer, have long since crumbled and 
passed away. Seven dwellings are now stand- 
ing on the site of the old town of Montgomery, 
but they have been built in later years, and its 
blocks and streets and alleys, which once had 
visions of a court house and a jail and a popu- 
lation of lawyers and judges and county officers, 
have been converted into corn fields and war 
gardens. 

Gurdon S. Hubbard's Trail 

The following sketch is an extract from the 
autobiography of Gurdon S. Hubbard, compiled 
in 1888, which explains the Hubbard Trail in his 
own language and refers to his visit to Iroquois 
in the fall of 1880: 

"The goods and furs I proposed to transport 
to and from the Indian hunting grounds on pack 
horses. In this manner the long, tedious and dif- 
ficult passage through Mud lake into and down 
the Desplaines river, would be avoided, and the 
goods taken directly to the Indians at their hunt- 
ing grounds, instead of having to be carried in 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 17 

packs on the backs of the men. During the year 
1822, I had estabhshed a direct path or track 
from Iroquois post to Danville, and I now ex- 
tended it south from Danville and north to Chi- 
cago, thus fully opening Hubbard's Trail from 
Chicago to a point about one hundred and fifty 
miles south of Danville. Along this 'trail' I 
established trading posts forty to fifty miles apart. 
This 'trail' became the regularly traveled route 
between Chicago and Danville and points be- 
yond, and was designated on the old maps as 
'Hubbard's Trail.' In the winter of 1833-34 the 
General iVssembly ordered that a State road be 
located from Vincennes to Chicago, and that 
mile-stones be placed thereon, and from Danville 
to Chicago the Commissioners adopted my 'trail' 
most of the way, because it was the most direct 
route and on the most favorable ground. Through 
constant use by horses, ponies and men, the path 
became worn so deeply into the ground that when 
I last visited the vicinity of my old Iroquois post 
(now called Bunkum), in the fall of 1880, traces 
of it w^ere still visible, and my grand nephew, a 
little lad of fourteen years, who accompanied me 
on the trip, jumped out of the carriage and ran 
some distance in the trail where I had walked 
fifty-eight years before." 



18 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

The above narrative does not only describe the 
Hubbard Trail in Mr. Hubbard's own language, 
but refers to his visit to Iroquois in 1880. The 
public highway running through Iroquois and 
Montgomer}'^ north and south is a part of the old 
Hubbard "trail," and the state road referred to 
in the above sketch. This explains the promi- 
nence of the location of Iroquois in an early day 
and the location of frame hotels on the south side 
of the river in the village of Montgomery. Also 
two frame hotels on the north side of the river 
which stood nearly opposite each other on the 
hill. These public inns were two-story struc- 
tures, were made to accommodate the greatest 
number of guests with the smallest amount of 
space. Their small windows and low ceilings 
would not appeal to the traveling public of today, 
yet according to the testimony of the oldest citi- 
zens, these inns were crowded every night in an 
early day with farmers and business men travel- 
ing along the Hubbard Trail. These unsightly 
buildings remained standing until some time 
after the Civil War, in silent testimony of the 
life and activity of the village during its early 
history. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 19 

Patriotic Celebrations 

Iroquois from its earliest history has been fa- 
mous for its celebrations of our national Inde- 
pendence Day. July the 4th has been associated 
with patriotic demonstrations. Two years only 
have been permitted to escape, one when an epi- 
demic of small-pox prevailed, and this Centen- 
nial year, when the citizens decided to support 
Watseka in its county celebration. 

In an early day the people assembled in a grove 
on the north bank of the river, but when this grove 
was converted into a corn field and its trees into 
saw-logs, the village purchased a twenty-acre 
tract of timber from William Dunning. This 
was made into a park and received his name. 
This park is centrally located facing JNIain street 
on the east, and is well adapted for the accommo- 
dation and comfort of large gatherings. 

Before the country was well settled the people 
came for many miles to celebrate and to meet old 
friends widely separated. In latter days, while 
these gatherings continue large, they are made 
up mostly of the population of the immediate 
vicinity. 

Old Settlers Reunion 

In 1879 an Old Settlers' Reunion was held at 
Iroquois, which continued three days. The at- 



20 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

tendance was conservatively estimated at seven to 
eight thousand people. A great effort had been 
made to secure the presence of all the old settlers 
then living. Much time was spent in looking up 
names and addresses and sending personal letters 
to the pioneers of the country still living. Free 
entertainment was offered to all who came. Amos 
O. Whiteman, prominent in local history, was 
president, and Salem Ely was secretary. The 
proceedings were reported verbatim by William 
Shortridge, an old resident, and later official court 
reporter of the county. This gathering of these 
old settlers has a great and increasing historic 
value. It was the first and the last great assem- 
bling of the early pioneers whose recitals of their 
early experiences and the hardships in the new 
country have been recorded and preserved. The 
men who made the history gave it in their own lan- 
guage. The pioneers who addressed the assem- 
bly were: Judge Franklin Blades, Judge S. R. 
Moore, Hon. John Wentworth, the first member 
of Congress of the district, familiarly kncjwn as 
"Long John" ; Hon. Hiram Vennum, Noel Vas- 
seur, who died two months later, Amos O. White- 
man, James R. Reese, C. A. Lake, Augustus 
Bingham, Thomas Barker, Moses H. Messer, 
and Hon. Micajah Stanley. They had been se- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 21 

lected from the pioneers who lived within a radius 
of which in an early day, Iroquois, or rather 
Montgomery, was the social and political center. 
These orators rose to the occasion and their 
rugged eloquence touched the hearts of the people 
as they rehearsed the tragic story of the hard- 
ships and bitter experiences of the new country 
through which they had triumphantly passed. 

These speeches are here embodied, not only on 
account of their local historic value, but because 
the pioneer history of Concord and Montgomery 
is closely interwoven with that of Iroquois county 
and the immediate surrounding country. Col. 
Wentworth, of Chicago, who had served from 
1843 to 1851 as representative of what was then 
the Fourth Congressional district, of which Iro- 
quois county was a part, was the first speaker 
presented and delivered the following address : 

Hon. John Wentv^orth's Address 

Ladies and Gentlemen : I have no doubt that 
many of you here today' have great pleasure in 
meeting your old friends, and I assure you that, 
however great your pleasure may be, mine is as 
great as any of you can enjoy on this occasion. 
I long have wanted such an opportunity as this, 
when I could meet the people of Iroquois county 



22 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

and the people of the twenty-two congressional 
counties I used to represent in Congress; where 
all party affiliation and names could be laid aside, 
where we could meet again as brothers, rejoicing 
in each other's happiness and society and talk 
over our hopes for the future. 

In these meetings you can renew your old as- 
sociations and tell the rising generation how much 
their fathers and grandfathers suffered in the 
early settlement of the county. I tell you, fellow 
citizens, of all the suffering in this country I ever 
saw, Iroquois county suffered the most in early 
times. There was no community through which 
I passed that attracted my sympathies as did 
this; yet I saw some of the finest land the sun 
ever shone upon among you, and I saw hundreds 
of acres that were overflowed, so much so that 
people could not get to market. You suffered 
from disease and the sudden overflow of your 
streams, and when you went away on a visit for 
a few days, you did not know when you could 
get home. 

In the spring of 1843 I made my first visit to 
your vicinity. In coming through from Danville, 
I rode out about twelve miles to a man's house 
by the name of Gilbert. The road on which I 
was traveling came to a stream of water ; I could 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 23 

see where the road went into the stream and I 
could see where it came out on the other side, so 
in I went. Old father Gilbert saw me and hal- 
looed, "Stop, stop, that stream is out of ride." 
That was something I had not heard before and 
I did not know what it meant. I stopped my 
horse and said, "Say that again." He said, "This 
stream is out of ride." I asked what I should do, 
and he said, "Head it," and that I did not under- 
stand. I backed my horse around and got out 
of the stream. He then told me to go up the 
stream and cross the sources. He says, "Up some 
little ways you will cross one of them, a little 
further on you will cross another one, and when 
you have crossed all of them come back again and 
get on this road." I followed his advice and thus 
I traveled, eating my breakfast at Danville, and 
seeing no other person. But there was plenty of 
prairie and plenty of these little streams to ford, 
not knowing where I was. I thought it was going 
to Congress under difficulties. The track I was 
on led to a ridge, and there I found a gentleman 
living by the name of Rothgeb, where I stopped. 
He had no hay for my horse, but he had plenty 
of corn. When I got to the house I told him my 
situation. The old lady began by saying they 
had nothing to eat. I said, "Tear a board off the 



24 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



side of the house; I am hungry enough to eat 
anything." I have eaten a great many good 
dinners at different places and with different men, 
but I have no recollection of ever eating a meal 
that tasted better to me in my life than that one 
prepared for me there. 

The next morning I started to Middleport and 
I found another stream "out of ride," and I had 
to "head" that. When I got to Beaver creek I 
found a man by the name of Rakestraw — and 
when I got to Washington I got the old fellow a 
post office. I don't know how long he kept it; 
there was nobody but him there. 

The way I got across that stream was to ride 
in a boat and swim my horse by the side of the 
boat, and the old man took my wagon to pieces 
and boated it across. I think I visited almost 
every man in the county and formed the acquaint- 
ance of almost everybody, and it paid me well, 
for the people were very kind to me. In all my 
positions I do not remember any greater kind- 
ness than the people of this part of Illinois showed 
to me, and I never had an opportunity before of 
returning my thanks to them for their almost 
unmerited generosity. I had to take my horse 
and buggy and go from Chicago down to La 
Salle, and then to Bureau countv, and then cross 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 25 

over to McLean county to Bloomington, and 
from there to Danville, and then up through here 
to Chicago again. The young people here may 
know something of what their fathers had to 
undergo when they hauled their grain to Chicago 
to get their living. During my travels among you 
many mcidents took place, one of which I shall 
relate to you. 

When I got out this side of Danville to a. place 
called Denmark, where nobody knew me nor did 
I know anybody, I saw one man edging around 
as though he wanted to get acquainted with me, 
and I gave him the opj)ortunity. He said, "Are 
you this long John that is running for Congress?" 
I told him I was. He said, "Lay low; I am ac- 
quainted here and know them ; they are all against 
you. And let me tell you not to run — the ques- 
tion — just you lay low and don't you talk the 
question. Tell them something about improving 
the country." And he commenced introducing 
me. I afterwards found out his name was John 
Young. I told them about the condition of the 
country, what we needed by way of improve- 
ments, and made them, as I thought, a pretty 
good speech, considering that I had to lay low 
on the question. There was one gentleman there 
who seemed to be boss of the town and had the 



26 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

post office. He said, "Mr. Wentworth, we would 
be very much pleased to hear your views on na- 
tional politics." He had no more than got the 
words out of l)is mouth before Young stepped up 
and said, "He is not going to run the question. 
If you want that done, bring do^vn a man of your 
own and let him talk the question." I took John 
Young's advice and would not let the old fellow 
draw me out. Some years after, when I had for- 
gotten all about it, one day while walking the 
streets of Chicago, a man grabbed me by the arm 
and said, "I want to see j^ou once more before I 
die." He said, "You have been in Congress until 
you have given away all the swamp land and got 
the Illinois Central railroad. Now, I want to 
know how long it would have taken to do that if 
you had talked the question all the time." In 
passing through the south part of the county once, 
I rode up to the house of an old gentleman who 
had gone away from home, so I thought I would 
talk to his wife about politics.' They had recently 
come from England. I asked her about her hus- 
band and she said, "I don't know anything about 
his politics, but I heard him say the other night 
that he was for electing Long John to Parlia- 
ment." 

Passing along for three or four hours I came 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 27 

into the timber where there were some men erect- 
ing a log house. I rode up and asked them some- 
thing in relation to their views about the legisla- 
ture, and one of them said, "Let these men alone. 
We have got all the work we can do, and we are 
going for the tallest man out." I said, "You are 
going for the longest man out." He said, "Yes." 
Then I said, "Maybe you would like to see me 
stand up," and I stood up and they all laughed. 
I soon got on the good side of them and then 
they wanted me to come over and make a speech. 
I said, "Xo; if another fellow comes along taller 
than me, you go for him, but I will take the con- 
sequences if you vote for the longest man." 

I once went to Esquire Hill's, out near Kan- 
kakee. I had been getting my bugg}^ out of a 
slough and was very much tired out; I went up 
and asked for some dinner. They informed me 
I could have it. The esquire was away. I asked 
for a bed to lie down. The room in which they 
put me was partitioned off with boards up and 
dowTi and they hadn't newspapers enough then to 
paste over the cracks. I heard one of the girls 
say, "I know it's him — father said he was six feet 
and a half." Another said, "I think this is a 
younger man." One of them said, "It's quick 
telling." And they got a rule and measured me. 



28 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

While they were gone I straightened out as many 
inches as I could. Of course I was asleep and 
they made me six feet and eight inches. I got my 
dinner and went out on the prairie and met the 
esquire coming home. He said, "Did you go to 
the house?" "Yes, sir." "Did you get your din- 
ner?" "Yes, sir, and the girls measured me." 
"Measured you?" "Yes, sir." "Well, the girls 
will never hear the last of that." 

It generally took me several days to get around 
as I had to see the people. I found the best way 
was to find out the feeling of the people, and if I 
found a man was against me, take John Young's 
advice and lay low on the question. 

When I first came among you there were but 
four post offices before Kankakee county was cut 
off; one at Mount Langdon, one at Middleport, 
one at Milford and one at this place. I came to 
the conclusion that it was pretty hard to keep up 
a correspondence with the county when they had 
a mail on horse-back only once a week. I said 
here is a people doing business with Chicago and 
these were all the facilities they had, and the way 
to get you more I did not know. When I said 
anything about it, the Postmaster General would 
fling back into my face that it did not pay ; it was 
costing the government two hundred dollars a 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 20 

year. I told him to give us more post offices and 
we would settle up the country and it would pay. 
The clerk came down to my house and he was a 
favorite clerk of mine. He said we are going to 
weigh that mail and if it comes to as much as you 
say we are going to do something for you. The 
next morning I went up to the office. I saw a 
number of old volumes of reports there, belong- 
ing to one man as much as another, and are 
printed and sent to the people, and I was entitled 
to the franking privilege, and I got a good deal 
of work, I tell you. I got every old paper and 
bundle I thought anybody would read here in 
Iroquois county. Then I went into the post office 
and asked about those seeds that were to be scat- 
tered around. I thought my constituents would 
like some of them. In about two weeks a letter 
came from the Chicago post office inquiring what 
was to be done with all the mail for Danville, as 
they would have to double their trips. 

Now you are receiving mail by steam on almost 
every train that passes. At that time Wisconsin 
on the north and Iowa on the west, were only ter- 
ritories. We had then to find out what the people 
wanted and then try to get it. I do not know 
what you would have done if we had not got the 
Illinois Central railroad, and that was my song 



30 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

and my labor when I was your representative, 
and I achieved it, and a gi'and result it was. And 
then I bid the people here good-bye, for I was set 
off in another district. 

Here is a list of the votes I received when I 
ran for Congress. I first received 195 votes and 
the other man 145, making a total of 340 votes. 
The next time I got 217 and the other man 135, 
making 352 votes, an increase of 12 votes. I 
supposed somebody had moved in. Again I re- 
ceived 290 votes, and the other fellow 177 votes, 
making 467 votes, and the last time I ran in 1850, 
I got 333 votes and the other man 274, making 
607 votes in eight years. When I look back and 
see how hard I worked and the difficulties I en- 
dured, I think I worked pretty hard for these 333 
votes for my election. And after I got the Illi- 
nois Central railroad I thought I had paid you 
pretty well for what you had done for me. When 
I left you there were seven post offices; one at 
Courtright's Mills, Middleport, Mount Langdon, 
Milford, Plato, Beaverville and Iroquois. 

Now, my fellow citizens, you have come to- 
gether today to inaugurate an old settlers' meet- 
ing. I would advise you to keep them up, for 
I think it will be the best legacy you can leave 
to your children to let them know you were the 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 31 

first settlers of this county. There is nothing Hke 
these old settlers' meetings to keep these things 
revived. I have met people here today that I 
thought were dead ; and perhaps some of you may 
have thought I was dead. You have come to- 
gether today to renew your old friendships and to 
exchange greetings in this county that was once 
so desolate, but has now been rescued by the hand 
of industry. Again I urge it upon you to keep 
up these meetings. 

When I came around here the first time solicit- 
ing your suffrages, they told me I was the first 
candidate that had ever set foot in Iroquois 
county. I suppose you see plenty of them nowa- 
days. I had then to visit almost every house, 
and I am glad I did so. 

There are a great many aged people here today 
that perhaps will never have another opportunity 
of speaking to you again and I will give you an 
opportunity to listen to them. 

I thank you for coming here today. I am here 
to thank those that supported me, and to those 
that are not here, to thank their children and 
grandchildren for what they did for me. 

James H. Reese was the second speaker. He 
was one of the first settlers and the official sur- 



32 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

veyor who laid out the towns of Montgomery and 
Concord. He returned nearly a half century 
later and told the brief but interesting story of 
his achievement. He said: 

Ladies and Gentlemen : I am not here to make 
you a speech. I was called upon simply because 
I was an old settler. I came here in the fall of 
1834 and left on the 31st of October. I had an 
appointment as surveyor under John McDonald, 
but he had never taken the oath of office and could 
not- act. The next spring after that I returned 
and laid out the town of Montgomery. I went 
to Danville and got my appointment there. I 
left there again in the spring of 1835 and I re- 
turned in the spring of 1836 and laid out Con- 
cord. At that time it was twenty-five miles to a 
house, which was then called Hubbard's Trading 
House. There was another located on the Kan- 
kakee river. I left there and went to Parish 
Grove on Sugar creek. The country at that time 
was very sparsely settled, and we did not use 
floors in our houses, and we used benches in place 
of chairs. I have met but one person here today 
whom I have any recollection of seeing before in 
this county; there may be others here, but I have 
not met them yet. It has been about forty years 
since I left here. I am glad indeed to see so many 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 33 

people here today, especially so many aged 
people, and I hope you may enjoy yourselves. I 
thank you for your attention. 

The Hon. C. A. Lake of Kankakee was the 
next speaker. He was not one of the first set- 
tlers, but came to the new country early enough 
to be able to speak from personal experience. He 
said : 

Ladies and Gentlemen : I do not know that I 
can be regarded by you as an old settler, although 
I have lived near here since 1852, a period of 
about twenty-six years. So far as the change of 
the country is concerned, it has been wonderful. 
When I heard of this meeting I was very anxious 
to come. I thought I would like to see the people 
who inhabited this part of the county before I 
came. I have been well paid for coming, and for 
the opportunity to hear Col. Wentworth. 

I came to Kankakee the same year the county 
was organized, which was in the fall of 1853. The 
Illinois Central railroad was constructed as far 
as our place at that time. I believe there were 
only seven houses there then ; a small frame house 
on Court street, a boarding house or two near 
the depot, and a stone hotel erected by Mr. Van- 
meter. There was no bridge across the Kanka- 
kee river above Wilmington. In a year or two 



34 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

later I came to your court house in Middleport. 
It was not very large then, but the means of 
getting there were better than when Col. Went- 
worth used to visit the place. We would go to 
Onarga and then across to Middleport by stage. 
While I recognize this county now as one of the 
best for land, I did not think so then. It did not 
look right to me — I was raised in the timber and 
it looked too uniform and dead. It appeared to 
me that we would never get rid of the great quan- 
tity of water on the ground — it looked like a 
swamp. But now we see elegant houses and 
farms and growing orchards. 

I heard of this place called Bunkum when I 
first came to the county. When I heard of Mo- 
mence and Middleport, Bunkum sounded as large 
and prominent as any of them. I never saw the 
place until about five years ago when I came 
down here on the Fourth of July. 

A great change has come over this county since 
the first settlers came. This land, which was not 
considered very good, has been turned to a pro- 
ductive purpose. It has been fertilized by the 
industrious husbandman until all over the county 
everything . bears the mark of thrift; instead of 
the swamps you now have the harvest fields. You 
now have a railroad across the western part of 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 35 

your county ; you have one running east and west 
and another running diagonally across the county. 
In place of the prairie grass growing as high as a 
horse's back, you have farms, orchards and flower 
gardens, which make it look as though it had 
been settled for one hundred years. 

This part of the country has been overlooked — 
that makes it settle faster now than formerly. 
Then the earlier settlers passed on west to where 
it was more rolling. Before the Illinois Central 
railroad was built you were in the background, 
but since then it has built up faster because the 
country was settled farther west. Who can tell 
what this county will be in twenty-five years? 
These low lands, once regarded as almost worth- 
less, are now converted into nice farms, and there 
is no limit to their production. It will some day 
be the richest portion of the country. Iroquois 
and Kankakee counties will be classed among the 
most fertile and productive of the great state of 
Illinois. 

Pioneer Story by Foster Moore 
Mr. Foster Moore settled near Iroquois as early 
as 1831. He came from Ohio. His address is a 
most graphic narrative of his earl}^ experience in 
the new country. He said : 



36 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

My Fellow Citizens: Not being in the habit 
of making speeches, perhaps some of you would 
rather not hear me. I have been forty-eight years 
in this country, called the county of Iroquois. I 
came here and settled with a large family — my 
father's family ; I was not married then. I have 
been breaking the ice and draining land for sev- 
eral years ; I have seen a great deal of it, and per- 
ha])s it may be worth relating. I have helped to 
bridge the Kankakee river with hay. When the 
ice was not sufficiently strong to bear us we would 
throw hay on it and run the water over it and let 
it freeze, and in that way make a bridge. I have 
gone over this route from the Wabash to Chicago, 
I expect fifty times, when there were no houses 
to stop at. We had to carry our provisions and 
horse feed along with us. Today I feel proud 
that I am permitted to behold as good a county as 
this, which used to be so uninviting. We now 
have beautiful farms where once all was ponds 
and lakes. I have traversed the Kankakee river 
from its source to w^here it ends; I have visited 
Beaver lake and caught fish where corn is now 
growing. I used to meet Col. Wentworth on 
the streets of Chicago, and go to his office and get 
blank forms of deeds. I worked on the first 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 37 

building on Lake street in Chicago in the fall of 
1832, being a ship carpenter by trade. 

Col. Wentworth desires that I tell you an anec- 
dote on him, which happened when he was run- 
ning for representative to Congress in this dis- 
trict. He had been down south of here and was 
making his way back to Chicago. I was then 
living about five miles from the county seat of 
this county and the water was very high ; about a 
mile and a half north of my house was Sugar 
creek, and the water was backed up over the 
bridge, and when the Colonel started to cross 
the stream he missed the bridge and went into 
the water, and, being a very tall man, he took the 
horse by the mane and piloted him to the shore 
and came back to my house to dry. At another 
time there was a lawyer by the name of Brown, 
from Chicago, who came through there, and his 
horse was drowned, and the old lawyer was the 
next thing to it. The next day they fished his 
papers out of the cl'eek. 

I am rejoiced to see so many of the old settlers 
here today and I hope I may have an opportunity 
to have a friendly chat with each of you before I 
leave the ground. 



38 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Address by Judge Blades 
Judge Franklin Blades began his professional 
career at Iroquois as a practicing physician. 
Early in life he studied law and entered upon its 
practice in Watseka. He advanced rapidly in his 
profession and was elected circuit judge. He 
spent his declining years in California. He was 
extremely popular with the people whom he 
served. His sparkling good nature and his apt- 
ness in story-telling made him a favorite speaker 
at public gatherings. This happy faculty is well 
illustrated in his address on this occasion, which 
follows : 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: It 
does not seem to me to be hardly fair that I should 
be called upon to address you now, for two or 
three reasons. It would be well enough were 
there not genuine old settlers here, but I see those 
here who were called old settlers when I first 
came to the county. I am a good enough old 
settler until I get into their company. When I 
am away from these old men who have lived in 
this county ever since I was born, and I am in 
company with people not much older than I am, 
I pass myself off as an old settler. To be called 
out here in the presence of these gray-haired, 
venerable men is hardly fair. I see here on the 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 39 

platform my venerable and excellent friend, 
Micajah Stanley, who came here in 1830, and 
George Courtright, who came here about the same 
time and who, I understand, was the first white 
man married in this county, and Leonard Hogle, 
who has been here forty years; and Hiram Ven- 
num and Squire Coughenour and Uncle John 
Fry, and my old friend John Wilson. When I 
am in the presence of such men I feel almost like 
a youth, although I am on the down-hill grade of 
life, being well on toward fifty. Many of you 
venerable men remember me when I came to this 
county almost a boy. It seems to me a good 
while ago. It is twenty-eight years since I came 
here and was taken under the wing of Dr. Fowler. 
Doctor Fowler was then considered rather an old 
doctor and had a good reputation among the old 
settlers of the county. In those long years ago 
I was a doctor and was introduced and com- 
mended to the people by him. I was liberally 
patronized by the people and made many friends 
who have continued to be friends to this day. 

I got along fairly well in my profession for a 
youngster. But in later years I have often won- 
dered why it was that people employed me. I 
was conceity enough then to think it was all right. 
In later years I came to understand how much I 



40 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

lacked by experience. I am here reminded to 
tell an anecdote of myself at my own expense — 
an incident which happened to me in the days of 
my youth. There dwelt at Lister's Point an old 
gentleman by the name of Lister — many who are 
here today knew him well. It was the first season 
I came here to Bunkum. The old gentleman was 
sick and he sent for Doctor Fowler to come and 
see him. The doctor undertook to palm me off 
on him. I went and found the old gentleman sit- 
ting out in the door-yard in a chair. As I ap- 
proached he said, "You are a doctor, I suppose." 
I said, "Yes, sir." He said, "Young man, you 
can go home. I don't want any boys doctoring 
me." Of course I was much mortified, but I 
couldn't find it in my heart to blame the old gen- 
tleman. I was not much in the habit of relating 
this story of myself in those early days, but of 
late years I can afford to tell it. 

Again, I am disappointed in being called upon 
to talk, for I expected to hear Mr. Wentworth, 
who is a man of high reputation and deservedly so, 
and of large experience in this county. Whatever 
may have been the prejudices which, to a greater 
or less extent, prevailed against him on account 
of policies when he was a younger man, such 
prejudices no longer exist, He possesses a great 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 41 

fund of information concerning the early history 
of this county and is withal a very agreeable and 
entertaining man. I am much disappointed in 
not being able to hear him. I also expected to 
hear Mr. Beckwith of Danville, for, although his 
age is not greater than mine, there are few men so 
well informed as he as to the early history of the 
northwest, and as to all this part of Illinois. I 
do not know of any man so well informed in our 
early history as he, nor one possessing such a 
fund of anecdote and personal reminiscence. It 
would have been a rare treat to have had him here 
today, and let me tell you old gentlemen, I would 
not wonder if he could tell you almost as much of 
your personal history as you know yourself. I 
would not wonder if he could tell you things about 
yourselves that you have forgotten. 

I shall not undertake to relate much of my own 
perso-nal experience, although I have in my time 
witnessed great changes, and have seen the 
greater part of the development and growth of 
this county. As I came here from Watseka 
today, and saw the splendid farms and farm 
houses and vast, waving fields of corn, and the 
orchards and groves of timber where formerly 
none were growing, I could not but be amazed 
at the change that had come over the county. It 



42 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



is seldom that I have come this way for several 
years and doubtless I can appreciate this change 
more readily than you who have seen it almost 
insensibly take place from year to year and have 
been a part of it. It almost makes me melan- 




Mai-ion Karr, one of the five remaining veterans of the Civil War now 
living in Concord Township. Co. I, 113th Illinois Infantry. Seventy-three 
years old. A resident of Iroquois seventy-three years. Continues active 
in business. 



choly when I contrast the past when, full of 
youthful hope and vigor, I was riding over the 
prairies with my pill-bags under me, visiting the 
families of the old settlers in their widely scat- 



'THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 43 

tered cabins, with the present beautiful and cul- 
tivated county. 

When I was practicing medicine here, there 
was one solitary cabin where Sheldon now stands, 
which sets itself up to be something of a town, 
which it really is. I used to ride over to that log 
cabin in which Zadock Parks lived. From there 
I used to ride over to Sugar Grove, twelve miles 
further, and there was no house between. From 
here to Morocco, Indiana, some twenty miles 
away, was a common ride for me. In my short 
experience I have seen nearly this whole county 
improved. We live in a wonderful country and 
hardly seem to realize it. We do not stop to think 
or reflect about it — what will it be in fifty years 
from now, when we shall be dust and forgotten 
except by our own immediate descendants. What 
a grand garden this country will be, splendid 
churches and school houses will thickly dot the 
plain, and groves of timber will be more numerous 
than when these old gentlemen came to settle here. 

A quarter of a century ago, or a little more, 
you know, we had no railroads and we went mar- 
keting to Chicago with wagons. Why, when I 
first saw Chicago it had but one railroad, and that 
came in from Galena. But I ought not to ven- 
ture too much on my own experience. These old 



44 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

gentlemen smile when I talk of my personal ex- 
perience to them. I am almost afraid to relate 
anecdotes that I have heard from the lips of early 
veterans, lest I may get them wrong and they 
may get up here and contradict me. If, however, 
they will promise to stand by me I will venture on 
one or two. One comes to my mind as told to me 
by an old pioneer whom I early learned to esteem. 
I refer to old Benjamin Fry, who to us is dead, 
and who is now no doubt dwelling in the happy 
land beyond the stars. When I first came to 
Bunkum — we are getting too stuck up to call it 
Bunkum any more — I became acquainted with 
him and he used to entertain me with his early 
experiences. Among other things he told me that 
he once worked for Gurdon S. Hubbard some 
six months, and w^hen he got through with the 
work Mr. Hubbard offered him a horse or two 
lots on Lake street in Chicago for his pay, and 
he took the horse. 

I shall venture to tell a story connected with the 
early life of Mr. Stanley, although he is here 
among us. Mr. Stanley came to this county the 
same year in which I was born, 1830. A good 
while ago I learned to treat him with the respect 
to which respectable old age is entitled. It is 
interesting to hear him relate the adventures of 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 45 

the many years he has Hved in this county. He 
is now mayor of the village where he and I reside, 
and which we, taking on airs, call a city. Many 
years ago he was sheriff of the county and once 
represented it in the legislature. Many, many 
years ago he was sent by his employer to Chicago 
to get a load of salt, and when he got there they 
didn't have any. (Here Mr. Stanley explained 
that he was sent by Mr. Hubbard to Chicago to 
buy a wagon load of groceries, "and when I got 
there I had to wait three weeks for the schooner 
to come in with them. Meanwhile I put in my 
time hauling material for the purpose of con- 
structing old Fort Dearborn.") 

Judge Blades : Just think of it, my fellow citi- 
zens, a man sitting on this platform today with us 
who, after he had reached manhood, went to this 
great city of Chicago for goods and groceries with 
a wagon and was obliged to wait three weeks for 
the arrival of a schooner before he could get them. 
What a miracle of change since 1831 — since the 
days, as the man said in the lyceum, that the 
"aborigines" were here. Chicago is now the pride 
of the continent and the wonder of the world. 

And there are other old men here today who 
have had as varied and interesting experiences as 
my old friend Mr. Stanley. I was speaking the 



46 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

other day to Uncle John Fry in a bragging sort 
of way about my being an old settler, but he soon 
took the conceit out of me by informing me that 
he had been in the county forty-five years; that 
was when I was a little urchin running barefoot 
and having the toe-itch over in the beech woods 
of Indiana. He was a man grown when we came 
here — I don't know but he was a married man. 
( Mr. Fry : I was married and had a wife and four 
children.) Judge: A married man and a large 
family when he first saw this county forty-five 
years ago. 

Some of you may say — and perhaps do say — 
if I had only gone further west when I located in 
Iroquois county, I might have been better off. 
But there was no further west in those days — this 
was The West. Then the states and territories of 
what we now call the west hardly existed, even 
in name. Where were Kansas, Nebraska, Cali- 
fornia then? The very names of some of them 
were unknown then. When I first began to study 
geography at school, I don't believe Oregon was 
on the map. Now the great and mighty west ex- 
tends away to the Pacific. Now we have Oregon, 
California and Wyoming, and Washington, and 
Nebraska, and Kansas. Yes, and there is Utah. 
You have no reason to reproach yourselves for 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 47 

having located here, for we have a grand good 
country. JNIost of you are well-to-do and many 
of you have greatly prospered. You have formed 
family ties and social attachments that are too 
strong for you to think of going away to the west 
and becoming pioneers again. Many of you may 
see your children go away to make new homes in 
the west. But to be a pioneer now is not what 
it was when you came to this country. They will 
never know the privations and hardships which 
were incident to the early days of this country. 
When people go west now they find as intelligent 
and cultivated a people as dwell in this part of 
the country. It is a common thing now for the 
people to take with them many of the elegancies 
and luxuries which they have here and scarcely 
any undergo the vicissitudes which their fathers 
did in establishing themselves here. When 
people go west now they find themselves sur- 
rounded by the same kind of people they left 
behind them — the same kind of people we have 
here in Iroquois county. 

We, who have passed the prime of manhood in 
this county, will probably rest our bones beneath 
its soil, but I trust we shall see much greater pros- 
perity of our people ere we go to our final abode. 



48 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Pioneer Story by Micajah Stanley 
The Hon. Micajah Stanley of Watseka was 
one of the first settlers. He came to the county 
as early as 1830 and was closely associated with 
the early history of Montgomery and Concord. 
He served in the legislature of this state, was 
mayor of Watseka at one time, and helped to 
build Fort Dearborn at Chicago. His own story 
of his early experience and hardship in the new 
country is thrilling and instructive. He said: 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : I came 
here in 1830 from Clinton county, Ohio. We 
arrived in the fall. In September we came to 
the Wabash and stopped three weeks on the 
Wee-Haw Prairie. We found that country 
almost wdthout inhabitants. There were some 
Indians and six or eight families of settlers. The 
same fall we left there and settled near Milford, 
then Vermilion county. We found here Samuel 
Rush, Robert Hill, Daniel Barbee, Jefferson 
Mounts, Hiram Miles and his father, and Joseph 
Cox. I came with my father's party, which con- 
sisted of my mother, Hannah Stanley ; my oldest 
brother, Wm. Stanley, and his wife Judith; my 
second brother, John Stanley, and his wife 
Agnes; my youngest brother, Isaac, and two sis- 
ters, Rebecca and Elizabeth. With us came from 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 49 

Wee-Haw, Wm. Pickerel, an old Quaker, who 
was the founder of Milford, having laid out the 
town. Pickerel was a remarkable man; he was a 
blacksmith, a miller, a farmer, jack of all trades 
and master of all arts ; as honest and industrious 
as the day is long. 

That winter we witnessed the hardest time I 
ever experienced in my life, being destitute of 
almost everything. We came with eight head of 
horses, fifteen head of cattle and a flock of sheep, 
and we expected to get hay of the people that were 
there, but the fire had destroyed it all. We had 
to haul our corn from the Wabash. We hauled 
what we expected would do us. In December a 
snow fell ten inches deep, which was increased 
through the winter until it was eighteen inches 
deep on the level; then there came a rain and 
formed a crust on that. The crust was so thick 
that a dog could run anywhere over it. The snow 
in places was drifted until it was six or seven 
feet deep. That fall we had plenty of wild tur- 
keys, but the winter was so severe that they all 
froze. We had plenty of deer. The dogs and 
wolves killed many of them, and we could find 
man}^ deer's carcasses afterwards. The deer were 
not all killed and we soon had plenty of them 
again, but we had no more wild turkeys after that. 



50 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

In 1831 we had a pretty hard time raising a 
crop. With the heavy rains our streams were 
filled up very high. In the spring we began farm- 
ing; we began to plow and break prairie, and 
we put in ten acres that had been under cultiva- 
tion the year before. 

In the fall of 1830, as I said to Judge Blades, 
Mr. Hubbard was living here at Bunkum, and 
had his trading house where Benjamin Fry lived. 
He moved that year to Danville and opened a 
store. He employed me and some other men to 
go to Chicago for goods ; he engaged four teams. 
I took five yoke of oxen. We went a little too 
soon, and I had to stay there three weeks before 
the boat came in with the goods. At that time 
there was not a white family living between here 
and Chicago. We stayed all night at Hubbard's 
trading-house and the next morning we started 
for Chicago. We crossed the Kankakee river 
above Momence, where Robert Hill formerly 
kept hotel. The river was bank full, and we had 
to ride on the middle cattle and drive the head 
ones. The water ran into our wagon boxes. 
When we finally reached Chicago we found no 
goods there, so we had to stay three weeks before 
the schooner came in. Inside of old Fort Dear- 
born there were two or three persons doing busi- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 51 

ness. Mr. Dole was there, and another gentle- 
man was keeping boarding house. Mark Beau- 
bien w^as up the river in a little one-story house, 
keeping tavern. Mr. Kinzie was up in the forks 
of the river, and one of the Merricks lived at the 
old Merrick stand, near the present Douglas mon- 
ument. There was a little dry land along the 
beach, and I do not blame Benjamin Fry for 
taking the horse instead of the land that was 
offered him. 

We left Chicago, and in three days we got to 
the Calumet river. Sometimes we had to hitch 
ten yoke of oxen to one wagon to haul it through 
the quicksand. We were between three and four 
weeks getting home. We ran out of provisions 
on our way back and Henry Hubbard met us at 
Beaver creek with a basket full of provisions. 
When we got home we rested about three weeks, 
then took the goods on to Danville. This is my 
experience on that trip. 

After that the country began to settle up a 
little more. After the Black Hawk war there 
were two settlements made. My father-in-law, 
John Moore, settled four miles southeast of Wat- 
seka, where some of the family still live. About 
that time a report came to our settlement, in the 
evening by the mail carrier who carried the mail 



52 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

from Danville to Chicago on horseback, that the 
Indians had followed him until he got to the Iro- 
quois river. He was all dirty and his horse was 
all dirty, and he was afraid to take his supper at 
the hotel. Some men who went out to Hickory 
creek to look at the country also came riding in, 
saying that the Indians had been following them 
all day and were close upon them. My mother 
was in the house and the rest of us were in the 
field planting corn. We thought it all a farce. 
The rest of them went away, but I stayed until 
dark, and when I went through the settlement, 
they were all gone except George Hinshaw, an 
old bachelor who was living there. I found him, 
and when we went through that settlement we 
found the calves shut up in rail pens, and we tore 
the pens down and let them out — such had been 
their haste, they left them in that condition. The 
next day we went to Parish's Grove, and I said to 
Hinshaw, "We had better go back. If the In- 
dians had been so near they would have been here 
before this time." The greater part of the settlers 
stayed down on the Wabash until fall, so we 
almost lost that crop. This was in 1832. 

In 1833, I think it was, we held an election 
for justice of the peace in Vermilion territory. 
There were two precincts — Milford and Bunkum. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 53 

We were entitled to two justices, but we did not 
know this. We thought that both precincts were 
entitled to but one. Bob Hill and Ike Court- 
right were the candidates. There was a spirited 
contest between the two. Hill represented the 
Milford settlement and Courtright the Bunkum 
settlement. Each wanted the justice in his own 
precinct, but the election was held at Bunkum 
and this gave Courtright the advantage, and he 
beat Hill two or three votes. Courtright went 
to Danville and received his commission and exe- 
cuted all the legal business for the whole of this 
county. But two years afterwards Hill was 
elected, and he went to Danville after his com- 
mission, and, lo and behold, he was presented with 
one two years old, which he might have had when 
Courtright got his, as we were entitled to two 
justices all the time. I was not twenty-one when 
I came here, but became of age the following 
February, so I was entitled to a vote, and that 
was the first time I ever voted in my life. Mr. 
Courtright made a very prominent justice of the 
peace. Mr. Hill also was a very prominent man. 
We had no need of justices then, only to take 
notice of the estrays. The first business I had 
was to take a notice of a steer, and I had Mr, 



54 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Singleton come up as a witness to the marks on 
that brute. 

When the stranger came to our county then, we 
met him as we do today, with open arms and a 
hearty shake of the hand. Then we would go 
eight or ten miles to help build a cabin. And you, 
my old friends, who are here today still have the 
same feeling that you had in the early days of the 
settlement. When a man came into the county, 
and we found he wanted to be a citizen we turned 
out to help him build his cabin, because they were 
honest and true men, almost all of them. There 
were but very few men who partook of the intoxi- 
cating cup to excess. In 1835 I moved to the 
place where I now live. I located three miles 
from any other house. There were plenty of 
Indians, and they were as honest as any men I 
ever lived among. They would not suffer their 
dogs to kill a pig or a sheep, and if they did kill 
any, they would hunt the man up and pay him 
for it. That is not the habit of men today. I used 
to leave everything out where I worked and never 
lost anything. 

I settled in Watseka in March, 1835, where 
my house is now, and I made a farm there. My 
friends came around me occasionally, and I used 
to spend from a day to a week showing them the 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 55 

county. They would come there and tell me they 
wanted to buy land to make a home, but not many 
of them ever came back. Mr. Beck with was our 
surveyor, and a very fine man. The land was 
surveyed and we could find any of the corners we 
wanted, and locate a man anywhere. That was 
the situation of our county up to 1835. I have 
occupied your time longer than I expected. I 
thank you and will give way to someone else, who 
can tell you the rest from that time to this. 

Pioneer Story by Thomas Barker 

Thomas Barker was among the first pioneers, 
coming west in 1831 and locating on a piece of 
land on the east side of the township in Newton 
county. He was nearly eighty years of age when 
he attended the Old Settlers' Reunion and deliv- 
ered the address which follows. His narrative 
reveals the sunshine of a contented and happy 
life amid the privation and hardship which he ex- 
perienced. His glowing descriptions present a 
pleasing picture of the new country and illustrate 
the value of looking upon the bright side. He 
said: 

Ladies and Gentlemen: It is now forty-eight 
years since I came into these grand prairies, and 



56 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

it seems but a short time ago. A great many 
changes have taken place since then. You may 
think it strange, but I am nearly four score years 
old. And if you had seen this country in its 
beauty, as I have, you would have called it most 
beautiful, with its undulating prairies and its nat- 
ural groves. As I rode out on my wagon, for we 
had no buggies then, I thought I had never beheld 
a country so attractive to the eye. It was cov- 
ered with the most delightful blossoms as far as 
one could see ; the husbandman had not disturbed 
them, and they were allowed to grow in their 
native purity. Everywhere we beheld the works 
of God in nature. You could travel for forty 
miles in any direction without meeting a person 
or finding a dwelling house. You could see the 
deer whipping out of the groves and the red men 
riding over the prairies. I never saw an Indian 
traveling on foot in this country — he was always 
mounted on his pony. I have been in France 
and in Germany, but I was raised in England; 
but I have never seen anything in those countries 
that equaled the beauty of this western prairie. 
It is true there were bad creeks and sloughs and 
no bridges, but we did not need many bridges. 
The people living along the Iroquois were cour- 
ageous and did not fear wading streams any more 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 57 

than did Long John when he pulled his horse out 
of Sugar creek. 

I never hauled my grain to Chicago; I could 
do better with it at home. I have seen men forty 
and fifty miles below here hauling flour and pork 
to Chicago, and when they got stuck in the Beaver 
sloughs they would manage to pull out again; it 
seemed to make no difference to them. They were 
energetic men who immigrated to this country 
and they were able to meet conditions. I do not 
know of a man — no, not one — that came to this 
country in that day and used any kind of industry, 
but made a good living, a good farm and had 
plenty. This proved that the land had something 
more to offer than flowers. There was something 
in the soil that a man could see. I remember 
when the first settlers came up from the Wabash, 
there was not a human being nor a house to be 
seen on these prairies. Just think what a change 
in so short a time. 

I am here today as fresh as I ever was in my 
life. I have never had an ache nor a pain in my 
life, and I have lived to be this old in this country 
without them. I was married when I was young 
and when I came here I thought I had found the 
prettiest country I had ever seen, and I thought 
I had brought with me the prettiest woman I 



58 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

ever knew. I was happy Tom then and I have 
been happy Tom ever since. 

We had plenty of venison and fish, and most 
of the time plenty of pork and beef. We had a 
good soil and all we had to do was to work it. I 
thought this country was the garden spot of the 
world, and I still think so. 

We had plenty of Indians as neighbors, ten to 
one white neighbor. I never saw an Indian who 
tried to disturb anything. If he wanted a favor 
he would come and ask for it humbly and he never 
came to my house in vain. I never lived by better 
neighbors. 

There are a great many old settlers here who 
had to plow for a number of years with wooden 
plows. The first iron plow I ever saw in this 
county was Peacock's, made in Cincinnati and 
brought to the Wabash. Soon after they began 
to come into the county fast. 

We did not have the facilities for an educa- 
tion then that we now have. The old pioneers 
came together and cut logs and built a school 
house, and each of us subscribed so much a scholar, 
and in that way we educated our children. Then 
we had but few wants and very little money. 

When I lived up at Pilot Grove there were a 
few of us scattered around there, and we would 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 59 

see each other during the week, and one would 
say, "Tom, don't you want to go to Bunkum 
Saturday?" And then somebody would pass the 
word around, and we would take a team and all 
come to Bunkum. It looked like a good ways 
to come to a store, but it was not half as far then 
as it is now. God bless Charley Sherman, the 
store keeper. Our purses were light, but we 
could always get our money's worth here in 
Bunkum. 

We had no churches, but contrived means to 
have the word of God preached. Although I did 
not belong to church, I took as much interest as 
any of them. I had a Methodist wife. We would 
see some preacher, and then give out an appoint- 
ment. We had preaching in our private houses, 
and it did us and our children as much good as if 
we had had a ten thousand dollar church. We 
had as fine a preacher as ever was. He lived up 
by the North Timber and his name was Waters. 
After his sermon he would give out his appoint- 
ment for the next time at some one of the houses. 
He would say, "I am going to preach next Sab- 
bath, if it is not a good coon day." Now, you 
may think he was a coon-hunter ; that was not the 
case, but he knew if it was a good coon day his 
congregation would be tolerably slim. As I told 



60 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

you, my wife was a Methodist, and when we had 
what we called a big meeting I would generally 
invite the preacher home with me. Once there 
were two of them at our house, and one of them 
called me "Brother Barker." I said, " 'Brother- 
in-law,' if you please." I was an admirer of their 
sister, but was not their brother. 

There was a friendship existing among these 
old settlers. I never had a bad neighbor that I 
know of. Before I moved out here with my 
family, I came alone and raised a crop. I brought 
two or three barrels of flour; I had some two or 
three hundred bushels of corn here, and had built 
me a house, but had not cut out any door. That 
flour and corn and everything stayed there all 
winter while I was away without being disturbed. 
These were the sort of people who made the first 
settlement along the Iroquois, and were they not 
the right kind to start the settling of a new coun- 
try? I ask how long would three or four barrels 
of flour stay in a house now all winter and be left 
alone as this was ? I want to show you the golden 
color of those who lived and died by me, and have 
now passed away. 

When I look back over the past thirty-five 
years, and think of the acquaintances I had up 
and down this river, who have passed away, it 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 61 

makes me feel sad. I could tell you all about 
them, for I have a good memory, and I could 
name all the families that have settled on this 
river. They were all good people. Some of them 
fell in the morning, some fell at noon and others 
fell later in the day. There are those here today 
who remember, when they settled on the river, 
how thick those mammoth trees were ; the poplar, 
oak, walnut, were growing in the thickest clus- 
ters, but they too have passed away. The hus- 
bandman's ax has felled a great many of them, 
and some of them have died, but there is a younger 
growth coming up to take their places. So with 
the human family, our grand-fathers and fathers 
are passing away, but there is a younger growlli 
coming to take their places, that looks as beauti- 
ful to me as did this country when I first saw it. 

Pioneer Story by Hiram Vennum 
Hiram Vennum, a prominent citizen of the 
county and one of the first settlers, related the 
story of his early experience, which was one of 
real hardship. He said : 

My friends, when I see so many old and fa- 
miliar faces around me whom I am so glad to 
see, it really makes me feel young. I left Penn- 
sylvania in September, 1834, for Illinois. I was 



62 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

run down in health and was told that I could not 
stand to travel one day. At night I went to bed 
and in the morning I was better. I gained in 
health every day from that time until I arrived 
here, about one month later. 

It was a new country then. We could not get 
feed even for our horses. We had to haul all our 
feed and our food stuff from the Wabash. The 
next year after we came we were taken sick. I 
will say this for the young folks, to show them 
what we had to endure when we first came. Ten 
of us lived in a log cabin fourteen feet square, 
and I have seen all of them down on the floor sick 
at one time. We thought that disagreeable times 
then — it made me think of old Pennsylvania. 
The reason we stayed here was because we could 
not get away, and you need not thank us for stay- 
ing. The next year we did not have a cent of 
money, and then the crash of 1837 coming on left 
us with nothing. I made the farm I now live on 
with my own hands, and I am there yet because 
I could not get anybody to buy it. I ask my 
young friends how they would like to live in a 
log cabin only fourteen feet square. You think 
you could not do it ; but you could stand it, for it 
has been done. You know nothing about hard 
times. Then we did not see five dollars in money 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 63 

once a year. I hauled pork to Chicago and sold 
it for one dollar a hundred and thanked the man 
for buying it. When you think of what we had 
to go through, you need not fear but you can 
make a living now. There w^as no such thing as 
hiring a hand — we had to do our own work our- 
selves. We used to drive a good many hogs to 
Chicago. I have waded the Kankakee river, some 
five or six times, when the slush and ice were run- 
ning. I have crossed those sloughs until ten 
o'clock in the night before I stopped. You may 
think you could not do that, but you could if you 
had to. 

Pioneer Story by Judge S. R. Moore 
Judge S. R. Moore, many years a prominent 
lawyer of Kankakee and an early settler, is still 
active. No man has a wider acquaintance in both 
counties than the judge. He said: 

I have had the pleasure of addressing a great 
many audiences in my life time, but none so large 
as this. I have the pleasure to speak on this occa- 
sion for Mr. Vasseur, who made a permanent 
home in Iroquois and Kankakee counties since 
1822 to the present time. He has never worn 
glasses and has never had ill health. He came 
here in 1822 to make a home in this beautiful 



64 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

prairie country. He was in the employ of the 
North-western Fur Co. for eleven years, and 
made his home in the ancient and venerable town 
of Bunkum. In 1832 he came and settled in 
Bourbonnais Grove. Mr. Vasseur desires me to 
thank you for your kindness and to say God bless 
you, that you may live long and enjoy the benefits 
of this beautiful county. 

I think about 1844 or '45 I became familiar 
with the name of Bunkum; I don't know how to 
spell it. I was acquainted with the meaning of 
buncombe in general and buncombe in law, but 
I never knew the meaning of Bunkum in Illinois. 

My father came to Cincinnati in 1794. He left 
Ireland four years before that. He made his 
way to Pittsburgh ; there they made a small raft 
and floated down to Cincinnati, and there was 
but one white man in all that country at that 
time. Daniel Boone was then in Kentucky. At 
that time matches were unknown — that is the 
Lucifer matches; some love matches were made 
in Kankakee. Mowing machines and threshing 
machines were unknown, and when they came, 
people thought they would be deprived of their 
labor and they could not live. When they were 
going to build steam cars and do away with the 
stage coach, there would be no employment left. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 65 

Cutting grain with the sickle and plowing with 
the wooden plow — what a wonderful transforma- 
tion there has been. 

Mr. Messer will tell you what Iroquois county 
was from 1830 up to 1879 — from nothing to twen- 
ty-five million dollars. Such is the history of 
every county in northern Illinois. He will tell 
you that two hundred years ago a trader came 
down the Kankakee river, and. then came up the 
Iroquois river to where now stands the ancient 
town of Middleport. If you will go to the Kan- 
kakee river you will find what is called Grape 
Island there, and you will find a quality of grapes 
that cannot be found anywhere else on the Ameri- 
can continent. They sprang undoubtedly from 
seeds dropped there over two hundred years ago, 
and took root and grew, and hundreds of people 
go there and gather grapes in the proper season. 

The Story by Moses H. Messer 
The story of the Indian trails of the county 
was perhaps never better told, and certainly by 
no better authority than Moses H. Messer, a 
surveyor, and an early settler. Mr. Messer said : 
Were I called upon to wi'ite the history of 
Iroquois county I would divide it into three parts. 
The first division would commence with the first 



66 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

permanent settlement of the white man, dating 
back to 1829. The second would commence with 
the introduction of the first railroad; this I. would 
bring up to date. The third period would begin 
with 1829 and go back two hundred years. 

There were three separate and distinct places 
of early settlement. The first was at this place 
in 1829, the second was at Milford a year later; 
the third settlement was on Spring creek, in the 
west part of the county, two or three years later. 
I pro23ose to go back to the time when Gurdon S, 
Hubbard located in this county, the winter of 
1821-22. He found no white men here. He 
came in a boat from Mackinac to Chicago, boated 
up the Chicago river and crossed the portage to 
the Desplaines, down the Desplaines to the mouth 
of the Kankakee, then up the Kankakee to the 
Iroquois, and then he followed this river up to 
what is now called Old Middleport. There he 
made his first location, and built him a house and 
a fur press. Mr. Hubbard stated to parties that 
he located there by order of the North American 
Fur Company, and when his contract with them 
expired he saw fit to move to this place (Iro- 
quois). A quarter of a mile north of here can 
be pointed out the location of his cabin ; a quarter 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 67 

of a mile east of it was the location of his trading 
post. 

I shall now describe as well as I can the Indian 
trails that then existed in this county. It is not 
certain that their location at some points is fully 
determined, but I shall give them the best I can. 
There was a trail commencing at Mr. Hubbard's 
trading post here, leading down the north side of 
the river along the timber to the mouth of Sugar 
creek, where it crossed the Iroquois. At that 
point there were two trails. One led southwest 
past Jefferson's point, crossing Spring creek it 
filed along the timber to Onarga (my house stands 
right on that trail) , to Kickapoo Grove, now 
Oliver's Grove. The other branch went down 
west and south to the farm owned by Benjamin 
F. Masters ; crossed Sugar creek, and from there 
it led away down across the prairie to Danville. 
There was another trail which started from Hub- 
bard's place here and crossed the river near the 
Iroquois bridge. In a short distance it divided 
into three branches ; one went to LaFayette, one 
to Milford, and the third to the mouth of Sugar 
creek. There was a crossing at the old town of 
Texas. There was a trail leading from here north 
to a ford on the upper part of Beaver creek, in 
this county. This ford was called the Shobear 



68 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

crossing. Three or four miles from the trading 
post a branch turned northwest and crossed the 
Kankakee at Aroma. The old Buck-Horn tav- 
ern was on this trail. An Indian trail also ex- 
tended from the mouth of Sugar creek down the 
Iroquois on the east side. From the best infor- 
mation that I have been able to get, these were 
the original trails the Indians had here in 1822. 

When Mr. Hubbard came it was convenient 
for him to use these trail's for communication. 
The more important of the trails from Danville 
north was called Hubbard's trail to Chicago. 
There was another trail in the western part of 
the county which was not made by the Indians. 
It was called Butterfield's. It came from Bick- 
nels Point to Pigeon Grove, to Del Rey, and 
struck the Iroquois at Plato, and then to the 
Kankakee river, below that city. The first set- 
tlors on Spring creek came by this route. 

There was a bit of Indian war in this county. 
In 1832 when Black Hawk was on the warpath, 
several of the families at Bunkum and Milford 
went to the Wabash for safety; others came to 
Hubbard's, where there were several hundred 
» Pottawatomies spending the summer. These 
Indians were all peaceable and friendly. 

The house of John Hoagland, about one-half 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 69 

mile north of Jessie Eastburns, was entered by 
some stray Indians of Black Hawk's forces, and 
some slight depredations committed. George 
Courtright (who is now living in Watseka) and 
Henry Enslin discovered it and hastening to the 
post gave the alarm. They quickly gathered up 
a force of about twenty Pottawatomies and 
started in pursuit. The trail was struck at the 
ford where Texas now is, and was followed north- 
west to the neighborhood of Tom Yates. At this 
point the fleeing party separated. One trail was 
followed to the mouth of Pike Creek and across 
the Iroquois. Here the pursuers camped for the 
night. The next day they followed up the river 
and up Spring creek and camped the second night 
in an Indian sugar camp at Del Rey. On the 
following day they struck the Indian trail from 
Sugar creek from Jefferson's Point to Oliver's 
Grove, and followed it back to their homes. 

This county from 1822 to 1829 had no white 
people in it except Hubbard and one or two in his 
employ. He had with him some half breed 
Frenchmen and some Indians he used as laborers. 
As an agricultural country at that time it had no 
value ; there was not a tiller of the soil in it. What 
have we today? We have one hundred and forty 
miles of railroad ; we are fastened to Indiana on 



70 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

the east by two lines; on the north and south by 
two Hnes and also to the west. We have one 
hundred and forty miles of telegraph lines, upon 
which can be sent four messages at one time, two 
each way. And we have a great deal besides. We 
have at least seventeen hundred miles of high- 
ways. We have also two hundred school houses, 
with over two hundred teachers employed from 
six to eight months in the year. We have one 
Seminary of Learning and one Conservatory of 
Music and several graded schools whose impor- 
tance is but a little ways removed from the semi- 
nary. There are over fifty churches and places 
for public worship, and numerous Sunday schools 
each Sabbath. See the advancement we have 
made. Compare fifty years ago with the present, 
commencing with a value at nothing, and now 
we have a value in property of twenty-five mil- 
lions of dollars, which is a very conservative esti- 
mate. See what Civilization has wrought in fifty 
years. It is well for us to celebrate our anni- 
versaries; it is well for us to gather as we are 
today and interchange thoughts and talk over 
these affairs and have a general good time. From 
the present time to the first settlement in 1829, 
we have a period of fifty years, and this is the 
fiftieth anniversary that we are here to celebrate. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 71 

It is only a few years ago since the United States 
had an anniversary, the Centennial. Now I want 
to see if we can not have this a double Centennial 
for "Old Iroquois." 

The first ship that ever plowed the waters of 
the Great Lakes was the Griffin, built by La 
Salle, a few miles above Niagara Falls, in 1679. 

On the 27th day of August this sixty-ton ship 
reached the Mission Station at Mackinac. After 
a short stay, sails were again spread and Green 
Bay soon was reached. A cargo of furs was se- 
cured and the Griffin set out for Niagara Falls- 
Seventeen men remained with La Salle. On the 
19th of September, with four heavily laden canoes, 
they left the mouth of the bay and turned south 
along the shore of the lake, w^hich was followed 
to the mouth of the St. Joseph river in Michigan, 
where he stopped thirty-three daj^s, waiting for 
Lieutenant Tonti, who had been left at Mackinac 
and was to meet his comrades at this place. At 
last he came with a number of men. LaSalle 
started up the river with thirty-three men in 
eight canoes. At South Bend a portage of six 
miles was made to the headwaters of the Kanka- 
kee river, down w^hich they paddled their canoes. 
On the fourth day of January, 1680, the fleet 
entered Peoria lake, at the south end of which he 



72 . A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



built a fort and commenced to construct a ship 
of about thirty tons burden, with which to explore 
the Mississippi as soon as the season would per- 
mit. La Salle, with his two Frenchmen and his 
faithful Mohegan Indian, on the second day of 
March started for Montreal. The lake and river 
were not yet clear of ice and when their canoe 
could not be floated it was dragged along the 
shore on a sled. In this way they reached a point 
near Joliet, hid their canoe in the brush and footed 
the rest of the way to Fort Miami at the mouth 
of the St. Joe. The next day they proceeded on 
foot across Michigan, crossed the Detroit river 
and walked to Niagara Falls, where they arrived 
nearer dead than alive. The indomitable leader 
at once left for Montreal. 

Talk of the great feats of travel in Africa by 
Stanley, backed by the wealth of nations giving 
him all the conveniences of modern times, and 
wonder at his success. Then compare his efforts 
with that simple trip made on foot from Peoria 
lake to Niagara Falls in winter and early spring, 
and Stanley's efforts are as nothing by the side 
of this trip made through our own country two 
hundred years ago. 

I hold in my hand a part of a map made in 
1684 from records and maps kept by LaSalle 



''THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 73 

and others of the country they had explored. On 
this map is the south end of Lake Michigan, Illi- 
nois river, Spoon river, Sangamon, Vermilion, 
Desplaines, Fox, Chicago, Calumet, Kankakee 
and Iroquois. The Iroquois river is correctly de- 
lineated as far south as Watseka, where it turns 
east. While I am not able to prove that it was 
ascended as far as that point by the French 
traders two hundred years ago, I believe it was. 
While Lewis Cass was in France about fifty 
years ago, he took much pains to gain a knowl- 
edge of the early settlement of Detroit. He 
employed as clerk, Mr. Margry, a young French 
scholar. Having gained permission to examine 
old records, the work was commenced, and 
Margry has continued the labor up to this date. 
The information thus gained was deemed of so 
much importance that Congress asked of the 
French government permission to copy all the 
records pertaining to the early French settlement 
in America. Margry has been employed several 
years, hunting up and transcribing old manu- 
scripts for the work. About two years since three 
large volumes were issued from the French press, 
and there are more to be issued. They are exact 
copies of the original documents and throw a 
flood of light on this interesting subject. There 



74 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



are several hundred copies of this work in Wash- 
ington, but so far I have not been able to procure 
one. If I did, somebody might be able to trans- 
late it for me, and the proof sought for be found. 
However, we do know that the French were suf- 
ficiently near this town in 1679 to call this Old 
Settlers' Reunion a double centennial. 



Pioneers in Attendance 
The following table presents the names of the 
venerable pioneers in attendance at this meeting, 
their residence and age at that date (1879), the 
date of their arrival in this part of the country, 
and the state from which they came. It will be 
observed that the greater number came prior to 
1845, and some as early as 1820. This list does 
not include the pioneer women, whose names 
were unfortunately omitted from the list: 

Name Residence Age Arrival From 

Hon. Micajah Stanley, Watseka. 69 1839 Ohio 

G. Courtright, Watseka 69 1830 Indiana 

F. Fagan, Watseka 57 1849 Indiana 

W. S. Moore, Watseka 67 1831 Ohio 

David Cass, Watseka 52 1849 Ohio 

H. W. Hedger, Watseka 60 1853 New York 

S. Hetfield, Watseka 58 1850 Illinois 

John L. Donovan, Watseka 54 1848 Kentucky 

S. C. Taylor, Watseka 54 1849 

John Reader, Watseka 60 1854 England 

John Fry, Watseka 74 J 834 Qhiq 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY 



75 



Name Residence Age 

J. M. Murray, Watseka 65 

J. Moore, Watseka 75 

R. Adsit, Watseka 71 

James Hoagland, Iroquois 61 

Putnam Gaffield, Iroquois. 68 

H. D. Strickler, Iroquois 84 

W. Lander, Iroquois 78 

William Dunning, Iroquois 64 

James Harding, Iroquois 63 

John Wagner, Iroquois 63 

Gess Markley, Iroquois 59 

S. R. Caggatt 58 

Anderson Tyler, Iroquois 59 

Thomas Markley, Iroquois 50 

Isaac Markley, Iroquois 63 

Elijah Fry, Iroquois 62 

Elijah Karr, Iroquois 56 

J. Williams, Iroquois 53 

A. Sword, Iroquois 64 

Abram Coughneur, Iroquois 69 

Samuel Warrick, Iroquois 68 

James Whiteman, Iroquois 64 

Charles Hoagland, Iroquois 73 

William Young, Iroquois . . . 

Leonard Hogle, Iroquois 72 

Neighbor Dean, Iroquois 72 

Jackson Torbet, Iroquois 76 

Robert Caldwell, Sheldon 48 

J. W. Murray, Sheldon 47 

S. D. Fry, Sheldon 48 

William Shortridge, Sheldon .... 45 

W. Atwood, Sheldon 61 

J. C. Switzer, Sheldon 53 

Molby Potter, Sheldon 52 

Isaac Thomas, Sheldon 52 

David Gay, Sheldon 66 

J. Marlay, Sheldon 58 



Arrival 


From 


1835 


Indiana 


1831 


Ohio 


1853 


New York 


1845 


Ohio 


1857 


Ohio 


1835 


Ohio 


1844 


Ohio 


1834 


New York 


1843 


Ohio 


1838 


Ohio 


1855 


Ohio 


1845 Pennsylvania 


1847 


Indiana 


1851 


Ohio 


1845 


Ohio 


1844 


Ohio 


1835 


Ohio 


1856 


Kentucky 


1855 


Scotland 


1836 


Ohio 


1853 


Ohio 


1839 


Ohio 


1836 


Ohio 


1853 


New York 


1837 


Ohio 


1828 


Virginia 


1847 


Ohio 


1852 


Ohio 


1836 


Ohio 


1836 


Ohio 


1859 


Indiana 


1844 


New York 


1828 


Ohio 


1852 


New York 


1835 


Virginia 


1852 


Ohio 


1844 


Germany 



76 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



Name Residence Age 

E. Burchchim^ Kankakee 57 

D. VanMeter, Kankakee. ........ 70 

J. Flagole, Kankakee 65 

Noel Vasseur, Kankakee 82 

J. Yongar, Kankakee 84 

R. Nichols, Kankakee 67 

A. Webster, Kankakee 67 

T. N. Pangburn, Onarga 73 

R. D. Pangburn, Onarga 66 

M. H. Messer, Onarga 50 

James Padgett, Newton Co 55 

Joseph Law, Newton Co 52 

Henry Rider, Newton Co 63 

William Best, Newton Co 57 

J. Mires, Newton Co 44 

W. Littlejohn, Newton Co 53 

P. H. Hunter, Newton Co 79 

W. Sallee, Newton Co 59 

T. Barker, Beaver Tp 66 

J. L. Perrigo, Beaver Tp 70 

F. Moore, Beaver Tp 73 

F. Elijah, Morocco 58 

D. M. Pulver, Morocco 50 

L. Sladdard, Momence 71 

Ben Stearman, Momence 74 

S, L. Sparling, Jasper Co 70 

C. Wadley, Waldron 53 

J. Macalay, Tucker 54 

Potter Austin, Wellington 51 

J. L. Bailey, Belmont 59 

W. H. Henry, Indiana 52 

Hyram Vennum, Milford 65 

William Best, Indiana 57 

W. Harritt, Indiana 56 



Arrival 


From 


1838 


New York 


1845 


Ohio 


1834 


Canada 


1821 


Canada 


1842 


Connecticut 


1832 Pennsylvania 


1845 


New York 


1837 


Ohio 


1837 


New York 


1855 


Mass. 


1852 


Indiana 


1830 


Ohio 


1836 


Ohio 


1857 


Ohio 


1837 


Indiana 


1856 


Ohio 


1861 


Maine 


1855 


Ohio 


1831 


England 


1860 


New Jersey 


1831 


Ohio 


1835 


New York 


1830 


New York 


1842 


Canada 


1839 


Virginia 


1836 


New York 


1828 


New York 


1856 Pennsylvania 


1852 


New York 


1854 


Indiana 


1830 




1834 Pennsylvania 


1837 


Ohio 


1848 


Indiana 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 77 

Home Coming 

Another notable event in the history of Iro- 
quois was a Home-coming, which was held in 
Dunning Park July 3 and 4, 1914. The affair 
was well advertised and the plan well worked out, 
and an excellent program was provided. The 
attendance was large beyond all expectations. A 
conservative estimate placed the crowd the second 
day at twelve thousand. The attendance on the 
first day was not so large. R. W. Brown was 
president and H. B. Francis secretary of the 
association. R. F. Karr was moderator. The 
program both days presented attractive features. 
JNIen of national reputation delivered addresses. 
George Ade, the playwright and noted author, 
whose parents were old settlers of Iroquois, was 
present and spoke; also United States Senator 
L. Y. Sherman of Illinois delivered an address. 
This is said to have been the largest gathering 
ever assembled in the county, and, like the Old 
Settlers' Reunion held in the same place thirty- 
five years before, the occasion of the only visit of 
many aged people to scenes of their early lives. 

No small part of the great success of this home- 
comi^ig was due to the generous publicity given 
by the Iroquois County Times-Democrat. This 
paper also devoted an entire page to a report of 



78 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

the meeting, including the address by George 
Ade, which is here presented. 

The following address by George Ade, deliv- 
ered on this occasion, was not only a glowing trib- 
ute to the community, but a happy expression 
of that indescribable emotion which stirs the soul 
of every man who, after a long absence, returns 
to the scenes of his early childhood. He said : 

Ladies and Gentlemen: I feel that I have a 
right to come here and celebrate today because 
my father was an early resident of this town. He 
was always greatly interested in Bunkum. As 
far back as I can remember, when our family 
first put on style with a two-seated carriage, our 
favorite Sunday drive was across the prairie and 
through the timber from Kentland to Bunkum. 
I have a second excuse for being here. Although 
born in Indiana, I was, for nearly fifteen years, a 
resident of Illinois. A friend of mine said once 
that I was a Hoosier by birth but a Sucker by 
instinct. At least I have enough of a neighborly 
interest to come here today, because I believe we 
should be loyal to our old homes and our old 
friends. 

The gentlemen who put my name on the bills 
did not say whether I was expected to go up in a 
balloon and make a parachute drop or engage in 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 79 

a wrestling match with one of the large husky 
blacksmiths from Chicago. As I have the privi- 
lege of choosing my own stunt, I have decided 
that I will merely stand up here for a few minutes 
and exhibit myself and then retire in favor of 
those who have more lung-power and larger 
vocabularies. 

When a man starts in to say something, I think 
it is a grand idea for him to talk about the things 
that he knows something about. 

In the last twenty years I have been a some- 
what restless traveler. I have had what the Ger- 
mans call the wanderlust. I didn't want to re- 
main more than twenty minutes in one spot. For 
a year or two I have been more content to settle 
down and stay at home for at least a week at a 
stretch, which is probably a sign that I am grow- 
ing oli However, before I calmed down, I made 
several trips to Europe, extending my travels to 
include Turkey and up the Nile into Africa. I 
went down to look at the Panama Canal four 
times while it was being excavated, visiting the 
West Indies and the edge of South America on 
the same cruises. I have been to the Philippine 
Islands and have visited China and Japan each 
three times. Five years ago I went around the 
world, and moved among the swarming popula- 



80 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

tions of Ceylon, India, Burmah, Java and those 
great Malay colonies between India and China. 
It is not my desire to blow about my travels, but 
to let you know that I have been to nearly all of 
the places that keep open, and, unless I have had 
my eyes closed, I should know something as to 
the relative advantages enjoyed by a man living 
on the banks of the Iroquois in this county, on 
the banks of the Thames in England, the Rhine in 
Germany, the Tiber in Italy, the Nile in Egypt 
and the Yangtse in China. Whenever I come 
home after a few weeks or a few months under 
other flags I am always newly impressed and 
struck with wonder to think that I am living in 
the one region on the whole globe where actual 
poverty is almost unknown. Right here, where 
we are living, is the only part of the inhabited 
earth in which the farmer, the man who tills the 
fields, who gets out and buckles down to the prim- 
itive proposition of wrestling wealth from the soil, 
rides about in a Ford car, has a piano or a talk- 
ing machine in the front room and a cream sep- 
arator in the kitchen, a balance in the bank and 
meat on the table. The average every-day man, 
right here in our neighborhood, is better fed, bet- 
ter clothed and better housed than any other plain 
citizen in any other country. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 81 

Many of the older countries are much more 
attractive as scenery. They look better from a 
car window to the man passing through. The 
fields are small and cultivated like gardens and 
the yield per acre is much larger than it is with us. 
The roads are as smooth as boulevards. The 
grass plats and hedges on either side are as trim 
and neat as those of Lincoln Park. There is less 
litter and waste around the farm-houses and out- 
buildings. In fact, the humble agriculturist of 
Europe has set several good examples to the 
American farmer ; but, thanks to the fact that we 
have a new country and our population has not 
yet congested, each man finds elbow room here in 
the Mississippi valley and the new wealth can be 
so divided each year that even the man with the 
hoe can get in all of the necessities and some of the 
luxuries — such as moving pictures, although 
many people now regard them as necessities. 

We are singularly blessed here in the corn belt. 
Let us hope that the farmers may continue to live 
in comfortable houses and drive their Ford cars 
and get measured for their clothes instead of buy- 
ing them off the shelf. 

When we have 200,000,000 people in the United 
States and no more acres to divide among them 
than at present, we will have new problems of 



82 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

management to take up and solve. No doubt they 
will be solved by the campaign orators when the 
proper time comes. In the meantime, permit me 
to suggest that we should rejoice because we have 
been favored and we should lay all of our plans so 
that the plain, every-day, stump-pulling and corn- 
plowing citizen may continue to have a look-in at 
the good things of this life. 

Licensed Saloons 
When Iroquois was first incorporated under 
village organization, its inhabitants immediately 
divided into two parties — ^the wet and the dry — 
between which there was no compromise. The 
licensed saloon became not only the most impor- 
tant issue, but the only issue. Candidates for 
the village offices were nominated and elected or 
defeated with reference to their attitude upon 
this question. No other qualification was consid- 
ered. The stock arguments in favor of the saloon 
were repeated in each succeeding campaign until 
they were believed by those who used them. At 
first the wets had the slight advantage in num- 
bers, and the drys in point of influence. The 
saloons were voted in one year only to be voted 
out the next. Thus the pendulum swung back 
and forth between the wets and the drys for 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 83 

twenty years, each time swinging a little stronger 
to the drys, until a decision was returned from 
the ballot box so decisive that it was accepted by 
both sides as final. The village saw the hand- 
writing on the wall and did not wait for the em- 
phatic decision made by the township under town- 
ship option several years later. While the saloon 
has asserted a baneful influence upon society and 
politics in Iroquois as well as elsewhere, it has 
also been a schoolmaster, teaching the people by 
concrete example, the important lesson that 
licensing an evil in order to collect a revenue from 
the foibles and vices of the people is a poor method 
of building up a community in its civic pride or 
its public improvements. 

Inventive Genius 

Iroquois has not been without its citizens of 
inventive genius. The self-binder, which came 
into general use and has been a boon to the farmer 
as a labor-saving machine, was first invented by 
Daniel Ayers, an early resident of Iroquois. He 
failed to receive any profit from his patent. The 
machine was constructed to use wire to tie the 
sheaf instead of twine. Wire was not in favor. 
A man named Appleby saw this point and in- 
vented the knotter, which used twine instead of 



84 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

wire. But he borrowed the original idea of a 
self-binder from Ayers. 

Samuel F. Nosker, an old resident, after many 
years of close application, succeeded in inventing 
a seed-drill attachment which also came into gen- 
eral use, but was afterwards appropriated by an 
Ohio firm. Nosker, like his predecessor, was un- 
fortunate in receiving no remuneration for his 
genius. 

James Humphreys spent several years of his 
life in perfecting his invention of a tile and sewer- 
age ditching machine. He finally disposed of his 
patents to his son, Walter G., who made valuable 
improvements upon which he has secured pat- 
ents. Being possessed of business ability, as well 
as inventive genius, he has kept control of his 
patents and is now operating a large number of 
these machines in the western states. Mr. Hum- 
phreys, who has made his home in Iroquois all 
his life, manufactures his own machines, and has 
achieved great success. 

Influential Citizens 

Every town has its prominent characters, who 
live and die in the community and during their 
active lives shape and mould its social and polit- 
ical life and whose influence lives after them. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 85 

Iroquois has been no exception to this rule. A 
number of these characters of an early date will 
be noticed in connection with the township affairs. 
But a few were more closely associated with the 
life of the village and will be mentioned in con- 
nection with its history. 

Walter B. Simonds was a resident of Iroquois 
for twenty years and died in 1891. He was su- 
pervisor, justice of the peace and town clerk, 
holding one or more of these offices most of the 
time. He had political aspirations and at one 
time was a candidate for the legislature. He was 
a man of generous impulses and possessed a won- 
derful knowledge of history and current events. 

David H. Ely, who died in Iroquois in 1907, 
had been a resident of the town for forty-eight 
years. He was a veteran of the civil war and was 
engaged in the lumber business more than thirty 
years of his active life. He was repeatedly 
elected to some village office and that of justice 
of the peace. He was well known in the town- 
ship for his mechanical ingenuity and his literary 
attainments. 

Dr. A. T. Crozier will long be remembered by 
the people of Iroquois, a practicing physician of 
great local popularity. He came to the village in 
1864 and died in 1891. He was an accomplished 



86 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

scholar and gave much of his time to charity. His 
exceptionally affable disposition won a host of 
friends. 

Peter V. Frownfelter and Mrs. M. Erasta, his 
wife, came to Iroquois early in the 40's. Mr. 
Frownfelter died in 1886, Mrs. Frownfelter in 
1899. They were among the most prominent of 
the early settlers. They held at different times 
the offices of tax collector, township treasurer 
and postmaster, and were leaders in the social 
affairs of the community in an early day. Their 
home was often open to the poor who were in need 
of shelter or food. 

Young Men's Opportunity 

Iroquois has given to the world many exam- 
ples of the wonderful possibilities which this coun- 
try offers to the young men of pep and energy, 
examples which contain an inspiration to the boy 
with an ambition to contribute to the world's 
happiness and progress. 

Charles Sherman, Dr. Fowler, John L. Dono- 
van, William Smith, Judge Chamberlain and 
Judge Blades in an early day were residents of 
Iroquois, where as young men they laid the foun- 
dation of their future success. 

In subsequent years many new examples have 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 87 

appeared. Charles Partridge, a poor boy in Iro- 
quois, with a kit of carpenter's tools and enough 
money saved up to buy a railroad ticket, located 
in the city of Omaha. He began at the bottom, 




Mrs^. Cora (Fry) Brown of Iroquois, a granddaughter and possibly 
the only living descendant of Benjamin Fry, the first permanent settler of 
Concord. 

but kept climbing until he became one of the lead- 
ing contractors and builders of that city. Will- 
iam Brown, who spent his boyhood days in Iro- 
quois, went to Chicago, worked his way through 
law school and is now recognized as a lawyer of 



88 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

prominence and ability in that city. Walter G. 
Humphreys, already mentioned in connection 
with his invention, was the son of poor parents 
living in Iroquois. He began his active career as 
a country school teacher. A tireless worker, he 
developed into a man of executive ability and is 
now conducting an extensive business of his own 
in the western states, with headquarters at Omaha. 
His original investment was character and appli- 
cation. William Dale, now a resident of Kanka- 
kee, began his career in Iroquois as a day laborer. 
His assets consisted of a tile spade, a level head 
and two willing hands. He is now prominent in 
financial circles and controls large holdings in 
Concord township and elsewhere. 

This list might be extended, but these examples 
will suffice to impress the point upon the young 
man of Iroquois, that the world invites him to a 
wider field of usefulness, and it is up to him to 
accept or decline the invitation. Neither poverty 
nor obscurity can shackle the gi^owth of the young 
man with character and ambition who is willing 
to work. Efficiency will come with effort. No 
matter how crowded at the base, there is plenty of 
room at the top. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 89 

Branches of Business 

The business interests of Iroquois are well 
represented in the following lines : 

A general merchandise store, conducted by 
S. M. Clarke. 

A grocery store, conducted by F. E. Martin. 

Two restaurants, one by C. P. Salkeld, one by 
R. B. Brown. 

One market, conducted by Thomas Smith. 

One harness and shoe store, by N. W. Tyler. 

One implement store, conducted by Robert 
Barr. 

One hardware store, conducted by Spitler Bros. 
Co. 

One telephone exchange, conducted by W. S. 
Fish. 

One garage, conducted by Mattox Bros. 

One banking house, conducted by F. E. 
Martin. 

One blacksmith shop, by Bert Lorison. 

One fire insurance agency, by John H. Francis. 

One live stock market, by Karr and Hook. 

One barber shop, by F. A. Wiltshire. 

One lumber yard, by Salem Ely. 

Two grain and coal companies, the Risser and 
Dale Elevator, conducted by A. E. Dale, and 
the Farmers' Elevator, conducted by F. W. Kee. 



90 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



The health of the community is in the hands of 
two capable physicians — Dr. Chas. E. Peel and 
Dr. J. T. Rea. Its spiritual welfare is in the 
care of Rev. A. A. Belyea, pastor of the M. E. 
Church. 

Iroquois has a well equipped post office, with 
Clem H. Hughs as postmaster. It has no manu- 
facturing industries. 

Fraternal Societies 

Iroquois is well represented in fraternal socie- 
ties. The oldest of these is O. H. Miner Lodge 
506, A. F. and A. M., organized in 1866. This 
society is perhaps the strongest and has a present 
membership of about seventy. 

River Lodge 586, I. O. O. F., was instituted 
twenty years later. The Eastern Star, Rebeccas, 
Modern Woodmen, Royal Neighbors, and the 
Red Cross have been established at different times 
since. The Red Cross, which is now active in 
work connected with the present war, was the 
latest to be organized. These societies have been 
active in their work for the betterment of their 
individual membership and the community. 



THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 



91 



Iroquois' Development 

The village in recent years has made decided 
advancement as a residence town. Its homes 
have been greatly improved and better dwellings 
have been erected in place of the former ones. 




Clem II. Hughes, Iroquois Postmaster. 

Modern equipment has been installed in many of 
them. Its streets and public walks have received 
better attention and are kept in the best condition. 
The civic pride of its inhabitants has become more 
manifested, 



92 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

As a business town it has also shown improve- 
ment on the whole. Its banking facilities are 
much better than formerly. Several substantial 
public buildings have been added within recent 
years. It has grown as a lumber market. Per- 
haps its greatest advance has been made as a grain 
market. Its grain elevators are doing an im- 
mense business which is on the increase. 

In population and in other branches it has more 
than held its own. Like other small towns, sim- 
ilarly situated, it has had to contend with chang- 
ing commercial conditions which have been det- 
rimental to the village in certain branches of 
trade. The mail order house, the rural delivery, 
the parcel-post and other factors have a tendency 
to divert trade to the cities. 

This adverse condition will continue until the 
small town merchant learns the art of co-opera- 
tion and the art of buying and advertising. The 
remedy is within his gi^asp and some day he will 
awaken to the fact. Then Iroquois, in common 
with other small villages, will take on new life and 
new growth. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" yS 

HISTORY OF CONCORD TOWNSHIP 

Location 

Concord township formerly included Sheldon 
township. The latter, however, was separated 
and placed under township organization in 1868. 
It is bounded on the north by Beaver township, 
on the east by the Indiana state line, on the south 
by Sheldon township and on the west by Middle- 
port township. It comprises town twenty-seven 
north, range eleven west, and fractional town 
twenty-seven north, range ten west of the second 
principal meridian. These towns are numbered 
north from a given base line. It extends six miles 
north and south and nearly seven miles east and 
west. The fractional range of about three- 
fourths of a mile in width lying along the Indiana 
line is a part of this township. This accounts for 
its irregular dimensions. It contains thirty-six 
whole sections and six fractional sections, ap- 
proximately 26,000 acres. A full section con- 
tains 640 acres. It was sui'veyed by the United 
States government as early as 1822, except range 
ten, which was surveyed in 1834. Although it 
had its definite boundary lines and was a definite 
political unit, it remained under the commission 
form of government until the year 1856. 



94. 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



Organization 

Concord township, although one of the first in 
the state to change its form of government, was 




Peter B. Strickler, a veteran of tlie Civil War, Co. F, 155th Illinois 
Infantry, who enlisted from Concord township. Was born in Page County, 
Virginia in 1827. Settled in Concord Township in 1835 and will soon cele- 
brate his ninety-second birthday. He is the oldest living resident of the 
township and perhaps of the county. He enjoys excellent health and is able 
to do a day's work on the farm. He attended the Iroquois County Fair 
the present year and had a jolly time with the boys. 

not organized under township organization until 
the year 1856. For this purpose a meeting was 
held in April of that year by the resident voters* 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 95 

The persons then elected to fill the different offices 
were: Jesse Eastburn, supervisor; Amos O. 
Whiteman, town clerk; Abram Hogle, assessor; 
P. V. Frownfelter, collector; Samuel Warrick, 
overseer of the poor; A. C. Mantor, Isaac M. 
Caldwell, and James H. Karr, highway commis- 
sioners. 

Prominent Men 

With this election began the history of the 
township under its present form of government. 
These first officers were prominent in the affairs 
of the community at that time and continued 
their activity in its development for many years 
after. They were capable and faithful in the dis- 
charge of their official duty. Amos O. Whiteman 
at one time served as county surveyor and for a 
number of years as justice of the peace. Abram 
Hogle was also justice of the peace and super- 
visor. Samuel Warrick was also supervisor one 
term. James H. Karr serv ed one term as sheriff 
of Iroquois county. 

A list of the succeeding supervisors who were 
elected for one or more terms in this township, 
down to the present time, in the order of their 
respective terms of service, would include : A. J. 
Willard, James H. Karr, Abram Hogle, W. H. 



96 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



McClain, J. B. Strickler, W. B. Simonds, John 
H. Karr, John Crouch, H. M. Whiteman, R. F. 
Karr, N. D. Pearce and Chas. E. Strand. 




Benjamin Fry, the first permanent settler of Concord Township and 
of the county. Was the most widely known pioneer in Eastern Illinois. 
In an early day, on horseback, he hurried to Chicago to help defend that 
city, then a village, from a threatened attack of hostile Indians. 

Early Settlements 

The first white men to locate in Concord town- 
ship were Gurdon S. Hubbard and Noel Vasseur, 
Indian traders. Their object was not to establish 
a home but to traffic with the Indians. In the fall 
of 1822 Hubbard established a trading post just 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 97 

across the road from the present residence of S. C. 
Salkeld, about one mile east of Iroquois. This 
building, made from hewn logs, remained intact 
until 1860, when it was torn down. In 1826 Hub- 
bard pre-empted a piece of land just north of 
Iroquois, later known as the Wm. H. Dunning 
farm, now owned by Fred Miller and Judge Ray- 
mond. Hubbard cultivated a part of this land. 
This was the first tract of land put under cultiva- 
tion in Iroquois county. Hubbard married an 
Indian woman whom he afterwards divorced. 
The widow then became the wife of Noel Vasseur, 
who later moved to Burbonnais Grove, Illinois. 
Hubbard in 1834 moved to Chicago, where he 
remained until his death. Vasseur visited Iro- 
quois in 1879 and delivered an address at an Old 
Settlers' reunion held in Dunning Park. Allen 
Baxter was in the employ of Hubbard, his wife 
being the first white woman to live in the town- 
ship or in the county. 

Pioneer Settlers 

As early as 1830 permanent settlements were 
begun in reality. Immigrants came to the new 
country with the idea to establish permanent 
homes and build up the country. Among the first 
pioneers to locate were John H. Miller and the 



98 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

three Courtright brothers, Hezekiah Eastburn, 
Wm. Hanan, Ehjah Newcombe, Ben j amine Fry, 
James Crozier, Benjamin Thomas, John Hoag- 
land and Mitchell Dunn. A. Pineo, Asa Gaffield 
and Henry Enslin were also among the first set- 
tlers. Dunn was the first sheriff of the county. 
Isaac Courtright was the first postmaster and the 
first justice of the peace. E. D. Boone was the 
first justice of the peace after Iroquois county 
was organized. Originally, Vermilion county in- 
cluded Iroquois county. The dividing line be- 
tween Vermilion and Cook county was the Kan- 
kakee river. In 1833 Iroquois county was made 
a separate county. And in 1835 the county seat 
was located at Montgomery, where it remained 
for four years, when it was removed to Middle- 
port. 

A New Country 

These early settlers found a country entirely 
new, rich in virgin forest and level prairie, with 
wild game in abundance, untrodden except by the 
Red man — a land of most wonderful promise. 
Concord township was about three-fourths prairie 
and about one-fourth timber. It is well watered 
by the Iroquois river, which runs through it from 
east to the southwest, affording a most excellent 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 99 

drainage. Along this stream on either side was 
a belt of heavy timber consisting of black walnut, 
white oak, bur oak, ash, hickory, elm and other 
varieties of valuable timber. Most of this has 
since yielded to the woodman's axe and been con- 
verted into fence rails, fence posts, saw logs, fuel, 
and at one time into log cabins. On either side 
of this timber belt is a continuous prairie whose 
soil is rich and highly productive. North of the 
river the surface is slightly undulating, while 
south of the river it is more level. It lies within 
the famous corn belt of Illinois and is well 
adapted for the raising of corn, oats, wheat, rye, 
clover, timothy and many other products of the 
soil. 

American Indian 

These pioneers found the township already in- 
habited by the American Indian. These natives 
grouped in tribes and had their huts and wig- 
wams and villages, and lived mostly by hunting 
and fishing. They lived close to nature and 
mostly out in the open. Their clothes were made 
from the skins of animals and their domestic uten- 
sils and their weapons used in hunting were the 
most crude and simple in type. They had no 
higher ideals and cared little for the comforts of 



100 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

civilization. There was a large settlement at 
Montgomery, where also was located an Indian 
cemetery. Evidences of the location of this cem- 
etery are disclosed even to this day. Several 
Indian mounds within the township have not en- 
tirely disappeared. The largest of these is located 
on the Bush farm, south of the river and near 
the state line. The Indians of this section, how- 
ever, remained friendly to the white man. In 
1834 they were removed by order of the govern- 
ment to their reservations west of the Mississippi 
river. 

Period of Slow Development 

The settlement and development of Concord 
township during the succeeding period of a quar- 
ter century was not rapid. There were a number 
of contributing causes. 

First — There were no markets for the surplus 
products available. Chicago was the nearest, 
being seventy-six miles distant. Pack horses and 
ox teams afforded about the only means of trans- 
portation. No roads nor bridges, but swamps 
and sloughs and swollen rivers, which were im- 
passable except during the dry season. ^ 

Second — these early settlers did not all foresee 
the wonderful possibilities in store for them nor 



'iTHE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 101 

the unbounded resources that would come with 
the development of the country. Some became 
pessimistic and moved on further west. Most of 
them came from timbered countries, east and 
south, and had little faith in the productive capac- 
ity of prairie land. They settled along the timber 
belt with the belief that the wide stretch of prairie 
would always remain a waste desert. Had they 
emigrated from prairie countries they would have 
selected the prairie land here instead of that ad- 
joining the timber belt. It was only natural that 
they should bring with them to the new country 
their prejudices as well as their dogs. 

Third — During this period the new country 
was decidedly unhealthful. The germ theory of 
disease had not yet been discovered and the 
sources of attack were unknown even to medical 
science of that day. Ague, chills and fever, ma- 
larial fever, typhoid fever and other diseases in- 
cident to the new country, were alarmingly 
prevalent and often fatal. The medical profes- 
sion were powerless to prevent their frequent at- 
tack nor to apply modern scientific methods of 
treatment. Artesian wells were not discovered 
until 1856, and the surface wells upon which the 
people relied with confidence for drinking water 
were shallow and often contaminated with ty- 



102 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

phoid and other fatal disease germs. Flies, 
mosquitoes, rats and other germ-carriers were 
unsuspected. The mortality toll was high. These 
evils were surely bad enough, but still worse was 
the disposition to regard them as permanent. 

Milk Sickness 

Another serious drawback to .the early settle- 
ment of Concord township was a serious and often 
fatal malady known as milk-sickness. It ap- 
peared in the form of a malignant fever, attack- 
ing man and some of the lower animals, such as 
cattle, horses, sheep and dogs. It was confined 
to the timber lands and appeared only in the 
autumn of the year. The inhabitants became in- 
fected by using the meat, milk, butter or cheese of 
the infected cattle. The symptoms were head- 
ache, loss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, 
thirst, constipation, a peculiar foul breath, then 
a typhoidal condition with coma or convulsions. 
The duration of the disease was from two or three 
days to as many weeks. The cause of this once 
dreaded disease has never been discovered. The 
supposition was that the cause existed in some 
poisonous herbs which grew along the timber 
lines late in the season and eaten by the cattle. 
Many experiments made by the early settlers lead 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 103 

to this conclusion, but it remains a theory only, as 
the particular plant has never been identified. 
Happily for the community's health and welfare, 
it has long since disappeared. 

Natural Attractions 

The new country was not without its attrac- 
tions. The forest abounded with wild animals, 
such as opossums, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, 
mink, muskrats and skunks, sometimes politely 
called timber pussies; while the Iroquois river 
yielded a plentiful supply of fish. The prairies 
swarmed with wild chickens, ducks, geese, quail, 
also foxes, wolves and deer. Hunting was not 
only a universal sport, but an ample and never- 
failing means of supplying the family with the 
choicest wild game. The early settler was a crack 
shot and seldom failed in his aim when his quarry 
came within range of his crude weapon. Wild 
fowl was so tame and plentiful that within an 
hour's time he could bag all he wanted to supply 
his present needs, and at no great distance from 
his own door. When in search of larger game, 
such as deer, men would go out in small parties 
in wagons and return well loaded. The fox and 
wolf chase was a popular diversion, so was 'coon 
hunting. The young men found an exciting time 



104 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

in prowling the dense forest at night hunting the 
opossum and raccoon. Their dogs were trained 
to trail the fleeing animal and bring him to bay, 
generally up the tallest tree. The hunter would 
then build a fire under the tree, by the flare of 
which he was able to take unerring aim with his 
rifle. With the advance of population, however, 
wild game became more and more scarce, until 
in the 60's, when hunting as a source of food 
supply was discontinued. 

Barn Dance 

The barn dance was also a popular recreation 
among the young people. They would assemble 
from long distances at some house or barn, com- 
ing on horse back, on sleds or wagons, as would 
best suit their fancy or the roads and season. The 
country fiddler was in great demand and was 
valued more for his physical endurance than for 
his art. These dances were generally free-for-all 
affairs, and were usually continued through the 
night. The prevailing spirit on these occasions 
was, "Let joy be unconfined when youth and 
beauty meet to chase the hours with flying feet." 
They were conducted with little or no reference to 
gi^acefulness or rhythm of motion. The idea 
seemed to prevail that they afforded the most ap- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 105 

propriate occasion to discharge a surplus stock of 
pent-up energy, and the young man who could 
kick the highest or stamp the floor with the great- 
est violence was the most admired by the ladies 
and the most envied by the men less efficient in 
the art. 

Spelling Schools 

The old-fashioned spelling school was also one 
of the early attractions. This had its educational 
value as well as its social features. On these occa- 
sions two leaders were selected, usually from the 
best known spellers, who would take their places 
on either side of the building and alternately 
choose from those present until all were taken. 
As fast as chosen the participants would take 
their respective places along the wall on the side 
of their leader, where they would remain stand- 
ing. The spelling book and the pronouncer 
having been selected, the exciting program of the 
evening would begin. The words would be an- 
nounced in a loud clear tone of voice back and 
forth from one side of the room to the other, so 
that one side would be spelling against the other. 
Each participant was permitted to remain in line 
until he misspelled a word, when he would resume 
his seat. The last person to remain standing and 



106 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

the side which he represented were awarded the 
honors of the contest — an honor that was cher- 
ished with an unconcealed feehng of pride. 

Worthy Citizenship 

The hardships and privations and sacrifices in- 
cident to Concord township in its early history 
had their greatest value in the building up of a 
citizenship of sterling worth and persevering de- 
votion, men of strong minds, of stout hearts and 
of husky, healthy bodies. The early settlers 
knew little of life's comforts or ease. They were 
home builders and community builders. The 
word failure had no place in their vocabulary. 
They were dedicated to the purpose of establish- 
ing homes and estates for their families. They 
were willing to make any sacrifice that posterity 
might be enriched. Their clothing and home com- 
forts were the most scant, and yet they worked 
and toiled early and late and were content and 
happy. Their environment developed in them a 
sentiment of comradeship, of fraternity, of broth- 
erly love, which made each one feel that he lived 
in God's country and among God's people. If 
one fell sick his neighbors were on hand uninvited 
to carry on his farm work. In the harvest season 
they cut his grain or husked out his corn. If in 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 107 

winter they chopped and hauled his wood to his 
home. If the housewife became ill the women 
would gather and serve as nurses and housekeep- 
ers until her recovery. In the event of death, the 
neighbors assembled not only in sympathy to pay 
their last respects but to attend to every detail of 
the funeral and without charge. They kept no 
books on their neighbors, either financially or so- 
cially. It was a free exchange of help with no 
accounting of balances. 

Such was the character of the early settlers of 
Concord township — the Hoaglands, the Frys, the 
Hogles, the Gaffields, the Pineos, the Carpenters, 
the Stricklers, the Willards, the Coughenours, 
the Gasses, the Browns, the Fultons, the Dorans, 
the Boones, the Youngs, the Warricks, the Court- 
rights, the Frounfelters, the Whitemans, Kings, 
Smiths, Fowlers, Lymans, Ayers, Manters, 
Nobles, Peters, Noskers, Ketchems, Shermans, 
Barrys, Browns, Blades, Bennetts, Chamber- 
lains, Lawrences, Scritchfields, Shepherds, Gil- 
berts, Ades, Markleys, Karrs, Hanans, East- 
burns, Enslins, Caldwells, Croziers, Dunnings, 
Shermans, Donovans, Fowlers, Whites, Willises, 
Hutzlers, Burroughs, Hollinsworths, Thomases, 
Kanes, Clarkes, Shrums, Lamberts, Richies, 
Pratts, Covins, Phelps, Websters, Crowls, 



108 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Goozys, Caldowells and others. It is true that a 
few were slackers and fell by the wayside, but a 
great majority had willing hands and constructive 
minds, and when opportunity knocked at their 
door they opened and welcomed. 

Opportunity 

"Master of human destinies am I ; 

Fame^ love and fortune on my footsteps wait. 

Cities and fields I walk ; I penetrate 

Deserts and seas remote^ and passing by 

Hovel and mart and palace — soon or late — 

I knock unbidden, once at every gate : 

If sleeping, wake — -if feasting, rise before 

I turn away — it is the hour of fate, 

And those who follow me reach every state 

Mortals desire, and conquer every foe 

Save death ; but those who doubt or hesitate. 

Condemned to failure, penury and woe. 

Seek me in vain and uselessly implore. 

I answer not, and I return no more." 

— John J. Ingalls. 

Early Schools 

The early settler was prompt to recognize the 
value of education. He believed that all the chil- 
dren alike, and not a favored few of them, should 
be taught the rudiments of a common school edu- 
cation. His ideas were somewhat crude, but dem- 
ocratic and practicable. His ideal was compre- 
hended by the three "R's," "redin', 'ritin', 'rith- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 109 

metic." To venture beyond these elements was 
liable to be more harmful than beneficial to the 
boy or girl. To carry out this idea public schools 
were established in the township as the population 
would warrant. Accordingly, as early as 1835, 
and within three years after the first permanent 
settlements were made, the first public school was 
started and "kept" in a log cabin on the hill on 
the north side of the river in a settlement then 
known as Bunkum. The statement has been 
handed down by the old settlers that the first two 
schoolmasters to preside in this primitive seat of 
learning were Hugh Newell and Benjamin Scott. 
The latter was also the first school treasurer and 
the second sheriff of the county. In 1840 the 
first school house was built in Concord township. 
It was located on the same hill and about the 
same spot. Later this w^as superseded by a more 
capacious structure which was found necessary to 
accommodate the larger enrollment of pupils. 
The school district at that time included prac- 
tically the whole township, and in bleak winter 
the boys and girls, in defiance of sleet and bliz- 
zard and snow, would trudge their weary way for 
two or three miles and with ruddy cheeks and 
smiling faces and dinner pails, enter the little 
school house, ready for the day's lessons. This 



no A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

building served the combined purpose of school 
house and church until 1875, when it was removed 
and a two-story brick was erected in its place. 
Again in 1900, this building being pronounced 
unsafe and inadequate, a four-room frame school 
house was built on the north side of the village 
of Iroquois. 

As the population continued to increase, new 
districts were formed and new school houses were 
built, first along the timber lines, because the 
early settlements were made near the timber belt. 
As the settlements in time pushed out into the 
open prairie, the school houses followed, until in 
the early 50 's, when the entire township was com- 
pletely organized into eight school districts, gen- 
erally of four sections each, and a corresponding 
number of school buildings were erected and as 
many schools maintained. 

School Houses 

These school houses were small and were con- 
structed on the samie general plan. They were 
frame buildings and the material in them was 
made from the trees felled in the near-by forest, 
and were worked into lumber by hand. The 
plank floors, the clapboard roofs, the hewn siding, 
worked to bevel with an adz, the doors and win- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" HI 



dows and the frame, were all the workmanship of 
the local carpenter. The ventilation was not only 
ample but unavoidable. The furniture within 
corresponded in roughness with the building itself. 
A large box stove adorned the center of the 
room, around which the children huddled in win- 
ter with the idea of keeping warm. On a very 
cold day they were liable to freeze and roast at 
the same time according to the part of the body 
facing the stove. To obviate this discomfort they 
would shift their positions at frequent intervals 
until the whole body became warm. These stoves 
had a ravenous appetite for wood, which was out 
of all proportion to the amount of heat they would 
radiate. This difficulty was overcome by the will- 
ingness of the large boys to take turns in chop- 
ping the ricks of cord wood on the outside into 
suitable lengths. This supply of fuel had been 
chopped and hauled by the patrons of the school. 
The seats consisted of long benches made of 
slabs. A slab in this connection means the first 
slice from a log. The only tools necessarily used 
in the manufacture of this important article of 
furniture were an auger and an ax. The pioneer 
was expert in the use of both. The operation was 
not complicated. Four holes bored into the slab 
at the corners and four wooden pins of even 



112 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

lengths driven into them tightly and the finished 
product was ready for instalhiient. In rare cases, 
however, when an extra fine job was demanded, 
the adz was used to give the finishing touches. 

These benches were arranged in long rows, 
leaving a narrow aisle along the wall on either 
side of the building; in some cases a center aisle 
was also provided. The back row was generally 
against the rear wall, which afforded the advan- 
tage of a back rest. A sloping board was pinned 
securely against the wall to accommodate the 
class in writing. These benches were all made 
the same height to accommodate grown-up people. 
The idea that the seat should be made to fit the 
pupil instead of the pupil distorting his body to 
fit the seat was not adopted until some years later. 
Then, too, these school houses were used for all 
sorts of public meetings, such as debating socie- 
ties, spelling schools, voting precincts, religious 
services, and political gatherings. The master's 
desk was constructed of rough boards and resem- 
bled a large store box. There were no black- 
boards, no maps nor charts nor any of the modern 
aids now familiar to every school child, and con- 
sidered indispensable equipment to the school 
room. 

The school yard was generally small and not 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 113 

considered worthy of attention. No effort was 
made to beautify or adorn with trees or flowers. 
If perchance a stately oak which had escaped the 
woodman's ax spread its shady branches near by, 
it was permitted to remain. But in the prairie 
districts, where nature had not been so lavish with 
her decorations, the building often stood on a des- 
olate spot, exposed to the piercing winds of win- 
ter and the scorching rays of the sun in summer. 
There was no thought of making the school room 
and its surroundings attractive and inviting to 
the child. Its esthetic taste was ignored. The 
playground was also left entirely to chance. The 
children's games in those days were few and sim- 
ple — black man, bear, hide and seek, town ball, 
old cat and a few more comprised the list. There 
was no supervision of the children at play, except 
in case of an accident or fight, when the master 
would show his hand. In fact, it was not thought 
that play was an important part of the child's 
school life. The school year was limited to three 
or four months in winter and would begin right 
after corn "shuckin'." In later years a summer 
term of several months became the custom. 



Ill A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

The School Master 
The school master represented a distinct type 
of the early settler. He was generally a man of 
dignified bearing and self-conscious of his own 
importance. Although possessing limited knowl- 
edge and no professional training, he was re- 
garded as the common reservoir from whom the 
people drew when in need of advice or informa- 
tion — the clearing house of all knowledge in the 
community. Naturally and necessarily, he was 
careful and diplomatic in maintaining this repu- 
tation of a walking cyclopedia. While active, 
and a recognized leader in the affairs of the com- 
munity, he was reserved in all matters liable to 
lessen his influence or expose his deficiency. Little 
was required of him in the school room and little 
was given. He was valued more for his ability to 
"keep order," and this was often measured by 
the frequency and severity with which he flogged 
the big boys in school. If he could read aloud, 
show the pupils how to form letters with a pen, 
pronounce the words in the spelling-book, never 
fail to do the sums when referred to him, and 
occasionally carry away the honors at a neigh- 
boring spelling school, he possessed all the quali- 
fications that should be required of him. His 
art or method in teaching, his ability in training 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 115 

the child-mind were not taken into consideration 
as an important factor. Yet he was a man of 
good moral character and manifested a pride in 
the dignity of his calling. He lived up to his 
highest ideal in "keeping school." In a few in- 
stances he was a college graduate and was lavish 
in his use of Greek and Latin phrases. He 
boarded around among his patrons and was sat- 
isfied both with his board and his very meager 
salary. 

Methods in Teaching 

The early school master had no definite idea of 
methods. He was given no normal training. He 
knew nothing of psychology, nothing of the law 
that governs the unfolding of the child-mind. In 
consequence the child received very little benefit 
from its first few years' attendance at school. It 
Avas never questioned that what the master knew 
he was able to teach. If he could read, he could 
teach reading; if he could cipher, he could teach 
arithmetic to the child. Every subject was pre- 
sented in an arbitrary way with no thought con- 
nection. His entire method was based upon the 
idea that the child cannot think and that it must 
learn the arbitrary forms first, independent of 
any thought relation. Accordingly, it was taught 



116 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

the alphabet, to recognize and pronounce the let- 
ters one by one ; in arithmetic, to sing the multi- 
plication table ; in language to commit to memory 
tlie names of the parts of speech and the defini- 
tions and rules of syntax ; in spelling and reading, 
to pronounce the words aloud, with no reference 
to associated thought or practice. An appeal was 
made to the child's memory to retain arbitrary 
characters and meaningless definitions, permit- 
ting the imagination and understanding to remain 
dormant. 

Even the text-books were arranged upon this 
error. There were no graded school libraries, no 
child literature appealing to the child's imagi- 
nation or understanding ; no language lessons, the 
primary grammars being made up of rules and 
definitions, while the spelling books presented the 
words in long columns according to the number of 
syllables with no reference to their future use or 
meaning. The arithmetics were made up largely 
of long and involved rules and obsolete tables, 
which the older pupils were compelled to memo- 
rize and wliich were soon forgotten and seldom 
applied. 

The opening day of school at the beginning of 
the term was usually a notable event for the chil- 
dren of the district, which was evidenced by a 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" II7 

full attendance. The smaller children were eager 
to get a peep at the new school master, and the 
larger boys were on hand to get his number and 
to lay their plans for his dethronement later in 
the term. The master generally began his day's 
program by presenting a long list of rules for 
the government of the school during the term. 
With a stern countenance he would read these 
rules aloud, placing special emphasis here and 
there at points where infractions were most liable 
to occur. These rules were often negative in 
form and suggested to the pupil new and untried 
fields for mischief which without this suggestion 
might have escaped his attention. In some in- 
stances the pupil was required to memorize this 
code and to co-operate in its enforcement by keep- 
ing books on the conduct of the other children and 
report to the master any infractions that he was 
able to discover. This method of espionage some- 
times led to feuds among the boys, who nursed 
their grievances for many years afterwards. 

Corporal punishment was recognized as the 
most dependable means to insure obedience and 
stimulate a healthy and sustaining interest in the 
lessons. This conviction was so universal and so 
well established that even the pupils regarded it 
as an indispensable part of the daily program. 



118 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

It was not the last resort, but oftener the first. 
A quiver of hickory or willow withes was kept in 
full view as a constant reminder to the refractory 
pupil. These withes were called into use upon 
slight provocation and their application to the 
])upirs body was not a mere form but a vigorous 
and painful operation. 

Results 

It must not be inferred that these early schools 
were a failure. On the contrary they were a suc- 
cess because they accomplished the purpose for 
which they were maintained. They gave the chil- 
dren a working knowledge of the rudiments. The 
child learned to read and write and spell and 
enough mathematics for all ordinary business 
transactions. He also learned the important les- 
sons of obedience and patriotism. Out of these 
schools came desirable citizens and neighbors; 
men and w^omen who became capable and trust- 
worthy in public affairs and successful in business 
activities. 

It is true that great advancement has been 
made in the schools since this early period. Bet- 
ter school houses have been built, comfortable 
and elegant furniture has been installed, valuable 
and useful apparatus has been added, school 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 119 

libraries and better text-books have been adopted, 
normal schools have sprung up everywhere and 
technically trained teachers with certificates of 
qualification are employed; the school year has 
been trebled, with the school taxes more than 
quadrupled, and yet the little old school houses 
that dotted the prairies of Concord township over 
a half century ago were the compelling influence 
that molded the civilization of this centennial 
year. It had its mission and it performed it 
faithfully and well. 

Religion 

Religion was a matter of the first concern with 
the early settler. This sentiment found expres- 
sion at the very beginning of the new settlement. 
At first the people congregated in their log cabins 
to worship. In the summer season the shady 
groves in which the community abounded were 
found desirable for the purpose of holding relig- 
ious services. The basket meeting and the camp 
meeting were in great favor. The program was 
usually made up of four parts — singing of 
hymns, the season of prayer, the testimony and 
the sermon. The entire congregation was the 
choir. The prevailing denominations in the new 
coimtry were the Methodist, the Baptist and the 



120 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

United Brethren. These appealed more to the 
emotional nature, which was one reason for their 
greater popularity. In the township the Meth- 
odist at first was perhaps the most active because 
their method of propaganda was better adapted 
to the new country. In the absence of close or- 
ganizations denominational lines were not so 
strictly drawn. The new settler was not so par- 
ticular about the name or even the doctrine, so 
long aL be got the experience and was permitted 
to speak of the faith within him. When the school 
house arrived on the scene, it was used for both 
church and school purposes, and was free alike 
to all denominations and to all preachers who hap- 
pened along. The early circuits necessarily cov- 
ered a large territory and the preacher's appoint- 
ments were far between and sometimes uncertain ; 
his visits, however, were appreciated all the more 
and his message received with greater interest. 
The people assembled from far and near, coming 
on horse back or in lumber wagons, bringing their 
entire families. These gatherings lasted the en-, 
tire day and well filled lunch baskets were pro- 
vided for all who came. New Year's Eve was 
always celebrated by religious services, "to watch 
the old year out and the new year in." This 
service continued from early evening until after 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 121 

midnight. More than one sermon was usually 
delivered on this occasion and some time by the 
same preacher. The camp meeting and the basket 
meeting were alwaj^s held out of doors, and the 
former continued for two or three weeks. The 
attendants from a distance slept in their wagons 
or tents at night and were supplied with abun- 
dant ration. The big meeting of the early period 
was the religious revival which was held in the 
winter season in some convenient school house. 
The term was decidedly indefinite and often lasted 
until spring work beckoned the farmer home. 
These special midwinter meetings had a two-fold 
purpose — the conversion of the sinner and the 
advancement of the righteous to a higher Chris- 
tian experience. Preparation was made in ad- 
vance for the success of these meetings. The 
preacher exhorted his flock to pray fervently for 
a Pentecostal downpouring of the Holy Sj)irit 
and the conversion of sinners. The regular ser- 
mon was followed by a lengthy exhortation and 
invitation to the sinner to "Flee the WTath to 
come." This warning was pressed with the great- 
est earnestness and insistence and the preacher's 
voice could be distinctly heard above the chorus 
of the congregational singing. As the people 
gathered for the service the men and boys took 



122 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



their seats on one side of the room and the women 
and girls on the other. This rule was carefully 
observed. As all the men attended church as well 
as the women, equal space was allotted to each. 




INFrs. ]'>cnj. Ely, many years a resident of Iroquois. Seventy-live year 
member of the Methodist Church. 



A long bench was reserved near the pulpit for 
the mourners; this was called the mourners' 
bench. The bench at the extreme rear of the 
room was recognized as the seat of the scornful. 
As the meetings advanced and the interest grew, 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 123 

it was not uncommon for both these benches to be 
occupied, the one by those first brought under 
the influence of the Gospel message, the other by 
those who came to scoff. But as the meetings 
continued and the message became more and more 
irresistible, the seat of the scornful melted away 
under its influence, its occupants one by one tak- 
ing their places at the mourners' bench, groaning 
aloud under their conviction of sin and praying 
for mercy and forgiveness. The religious fei-i^or 
which pervaded the early day revival was intense. 
Men and women sang and shouted in ecstasy of 
joy until they fell prostrate to the floor from 
exhaustion, w^here they remained in a semi-con- 
scious state until assisted to their feet by some 
devout but less emotional brother or sister. This 
revival wave often spread from one center of 
population to another, until it gathered under its 
influence the people of a wide area of territory. 

Early Churches 

It is claimed that Rev. S. R. Beggs was the 
first to preach in Concord township in the year 
1832. In 1833 the first Methodist circuit was 
established, which embraced the territory from 
Spring Creek to Rensselaer, and from the Wa- 
bash river to the Kankakee. The first pastor 



121 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

assigned to this circuit was Rev. Essex, who held 
a series of meetings the same year at the home of 
Benjamin Fry, one mile east of Iroquois, who has 
been mentioned as the first permanent settler of 
the tow^nship. This was perhaps the first Meth- 
odist revival meeting held in the county. The 
following year Rev. Springer was assigned the 
same circuit and organized the first church so- 
ciety in the township. This society grew from 
the smallest beginning, Benjamin Fry being one 
of its active members from the first. It met regu- 
larly at the Liberty school house, and finally, in 
1872, erected a church just east of the township 
line and named it Morris Chapel. In 1850 a 
United Brethren society was formed in the Enslen 
school house south of the river b}^ the Rev. Jacob 
Kenoyer, who preached many times in the town- 
ship. In 1854 the second Methodist society was 
organized in the township, which held regular 
meetings in the frame school house in Iroquois. 
This society also prospered and in 1875 erected 
a church edifice in the village under the pastorate 
of Rev. Calhoun. In 1870, Samuel Warrick and 
William Brown Avere the promoters in the build- 
ing of a church near the west line of the town- 
ship, which was named Prairie Delle. The Chris- 
tian denomination began active work much later 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 125 

in the township. Irregular meetings were held 
in Iroquois as early as 1880. Rev. Hollo way of 
Morocco made frequent visits, preaching to the 
people and baptizing the new converts. These 
baptismal ceremonies were conducted at the Iro- 
quois river near the wagon bridge and were usu- 
ally the occasion of a large gathering. This so- 
ciety was active and aggressive and in 1895, under 
the pastorate of Rev. Crank, erected a brick 
church in Iroquois. 

Pioneer Preachers 

The pioneer preacher will long be remembered 
and revered for his manly qualities and moral 
courage as well as for his physical endurance. 
His scholastic attainments were no measure of 
his wonderful power over men for their better- 
ment. He relied on God and his own powerful 
voice, developed by long outdoor practice, for liis 
success. It is said that even in secret prayer he 
could be heard a mile. His worldly belongings 
were few and scant, and even his library was in 
some instances limited to a hymn book and a well 
thumbed pocket bible. In some instances his early 
education had been so neglected that he could 
barely read and write, yet he was strong in the 
faith and positive of his message. His theology 



126 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



sometimes crude and his language defiant of the 
rules of syntax, he had the courage of his convic- 
tions and he shot his Gospel message straight 
home to the heart of the trembling sinner. He 
sometimes lost his text, but of tener he never found 
it. He had no fear of losing his stipend on ac- 
count of his plain, direct preaching, because he 
received none worthy of mention. He rode on 
horse back through swamps and forded rivers in 
rain and storm and blizzard to fill distant ap- 
pointments, without even a thought of salary. 
Free from mercenary motive or worldly ambi- 
tion, he gave his full measure of service cheerfully 
for the cause. He was a recognized moral force 
in the community and his influence upon the fam- 
ily was wholesome and uplifting. By his self- 
sacrifice and devotion, as well as by his preaching 
he stamped the verities of the Christian religion 
indelibly upon his own and future generations. 
Like the pioneer school master, he has performed 
his mission and has passed into history, but his 
influence still lives. 



"As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, 
Swells from the vale and midway cleaves the storm, 
So round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on his head." 



THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY 



127 



"At ehurcli, with meek and unaffected grace 
His looks adorned the venerable place 
Truth from his lips prevailed with double swav. 
And fools who came to scoff remained to pray?' 

The Civil War 
In 18C1, when the ominous clouds of secession 
darkened our fair land and threatened tlie very 
existence of the Union, the young men of Con- 
cord township responded to the call to arms, ready 
and willing to make the supreme sacrifice in de- 
fense of the flag and the institutions which thev 
had been taught to love from childhood. At that 
time the population of the county was little more 
than twelve thousand, and yet lier enlistments into 
the army and navy during the four years of civil 
war that followed, were over seventeen hundred. 
Ot this number, more than three hundred or 
twenty per cent, were killed or died in the service 
Concord township furnished her full quota of as 
brave young men as ever wore uniform or died 
m battle. A very few are yet living of those 
who returned. Below are given the names of 
those who served in the AVar of the Rebellion from 
this township, who were killed in action or died 
111 the sen'ice: 

"^"h ^- l^>''^'f at Camp Butler, April lo, 1863. 
Mathew Pmeo, died at Youngs Point, March 13, 1868 
Cornehus Morgan, died at Youngs Point. April 5 186^ 



128 ■ A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Samuel Morgan^ died at Memphis, Nov. 26, 1864. 

Cyrus Murray, died at Memphis, Dec. 7, 1862. 

Abraham Markley, died at Memphis, Dec. 6, 1862. 

Riley Lister, died at Camp Butler, Oct. 28, 1863. 

Clause Halderman, died at Camp Hancock, 111., Oct. 19, 
1862. 

Henry Fry, died at Camp Yates, 111., Jan. 13, 1864. 

Thomas Carpenter, died at Memphis, Dec. 15, 1862. 

Harvey Barr, killed at Arkansas Post, Jan. 11, 1863. 

Benjamin Appleget, died at Corinth, Miss., Aug. 17, 1863. 

J. A. Whiteman, died at St. Louis, July 7, 1863. 

Isaac M. Caldwell, died at Memphis, May 4, 1863. 

Amos W. Markley, killed near Jackson, Miss., July 7, 
1864. 

Thomas W. Mantor, died at Cairo, Nov. 15, 1863. 

Samuel Clemens, died at Moscow, Tenn., Feb. 2, 1863. 

Abel Burroughs, died at Vicksburg, Aug. 22, 1864. 

Joseph Eastburn, died at Sheldon, Dec. 9, 1864. 

James H. O'Brine, died at Vicksburg, Dec. 26, 1863. 

Joseph Sherril, killed at Resaco, Ga., May 14, 1864. 

Isaac Hoagland, died at Smithton, Mo., Jan. 3, 1862. 

William Gilbert, died Nov. 11, 1861. 

Philander Foster, died at Tipton, Mo., Dec. 25, 1861. 

Elisha Karr, killed at Drury's Bluff, Va., May 14, 1864. 

Calvin Warrick, died at Memphis, Tenn. 

Of all those who enlisted from Concord, only 
three are still residing in the township. They are 
Marion Karr, Abraham Carpenter and Peter B. 
Strickler. John B. Salkeld and Theodore Yates, 
residing in Iroquois, are veterans of the Civil 
War, but are not credited to this township. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 129 

Change in Population 

Although Concord township is distinctly a rural 
community in which changes are comparatively 
few and the percentage is comparatively large of 




Abraham Carpenter of Iroquois, 82 years old. One of the live remaining 
veterans of the Civil War living in Concord Township. Co. I, 113th Illinois 
Infantry. 

those who own and occupy their own homes, it is 
interesting to note that of its present population 
of something over one thousand, less than five 
per cent have lived in the township for a period 
of fifty years. Below are the names of residents 



ISO 



A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 



at this date, August, 1918, who have resided in 
the township for half a century. It is possihle 
that some names have been overlooked: 



Strickler, Peter 
Vry, Henry S. 
Hook, Robert 
Hook, Mrs. Ann 
Fires, Mrs. Mary 
Lambert, James 
Frownfelter, F. W. 
Reese, Henry 
Plummer, Elizabeth 
Webster, Wm. A. 
Shepherd, Cyrus 
Torbet, Anvil 
Shrmn, Ellas 
Christofferson, Sarah 
Ely, Miss Lillie 
Whiteman, H. M. 
Whiteman, A. L. 
Whiteman, Horace 
Frazier, John 
Lambert, Chas. W. 
Clark, Mrs. May 
Karr, Marion 
Peace, S. N. 



Eastburn, Jesse R., Jr. 
Shepherd, Mrs. Cyrus 
Appleget, Sarah 
Shrum, Mrs. Eli as 
Raymond, Daniel 
Ely, Salem 
Patterson, Mrs. Alice 
^laggs, Catharine 
Hogle, H. S. 
Hogle, Mrs. H. S.. 
Nosker, Mary A. 
Stam, Mrs. Minnie 
Frazier, ^Nlrs. ^Martha 
Lambert, Truman 
Anderson, Mrs. Agnes 
Plummer, Henry 
Murray, Jacob H. 
Coughenour, Mrs. Ellen 
Gilbert, Leonard 
Clark, Mrs. Lovina 
Cross, Mrs. Mary 
Cross, Mrs. Florence 
Warrick, Chas. H. 



Period of Development 

The third period in the history of the township 
begins about 1855 and continues down to the pres- 
ent time. This period is remarkable for the won- 
derful growth and development that have been 
crowded within the space of about sixty years. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 131 

The clouds were passing, the sky was clearing 
and the early settler began to see over the top 
intb the promised land. A number of causes 
have contributed to the wonderful transforma- 
tion of the new country and its surprising indus- 
trial development during this period. Grist mills 
sj^rang up and were in operation at different 
points. One was located at Old Texas, near the 
southwest corner of the township, one at Old 
3Iiddleport, then the county seat of Iroquois 
county, one at Auroma and one at Brook, Indi- 
ana. These mills afforded a local market for the 
farmer's w^ieat and gave him the opportunity to 
receive flour in exchange by paying the miller a 
liberal toll for his grist. These mills served their 
purpose for the time and were a great benefit to 
the people whom they served, but were not able 
long to withstand the competition of the large 
power mills whose product the railroads brought 
to the local markets. 

The railroads as a factor in building up the 
new country cannot be overestimated. The Illi- 
nois Central was completed in 18.56, what is now 
the Toledo, Peoria and Western in 1860, and the 
C, C, C. & St. L. (Big Four) in 1871. These 
new means of transportation proved a great boon 
to the farmers of the townshij). The Illinois Gen- 



132 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

tral furnished a market as near as Kankakee, the 
Toledo, Peoria & Western, within one mile of the 
south line, Sheldon, and the Big Four established 
a first class market in the very center of the town- 
ship. The farmer was no longer compelled to 
drive or haul his live stock to Chicago or some 
other distant point, but could ship his grain, his 
cattle and hogs and other j^roducts of the farm 
through his own local markets, and receive in 
exchange the highest current prices. The com- 
modities that he needed on the farm and in the 
home were shipped in and kept in stock for his 
convenience. What before required weeks to ac- 
complish he was now able to do in a few hours. 

The people had already seen the necessity of 
public improvements. Taxes were levied and at- 
tention was directed to the building of bridges 
and the grading and improving of the principal 
public highways. This w^ork has continued with 
increasing effort and expense and will continue 
until the township is well supplied with hard 
roads. Local saw-mills were installed at con- 
venient places along the timber belt, and the giant 
oaks which had defied the storms of the ages, 
yielded to the ax and the cross-cut saw, and the 
logs were converted into rough lumber for build- 
ing purposes. This domestic lumber was avail- 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 133 

able for every part of the frame house or barn or 
crib. The process was indeed slow and tedious, 
but the carpenter was able to work with his hand 
tools the rough board into flooring, siding, shin- 
gles, finish and every ^^art of the building. This 
method continued until the big mills began to 
supply the local market with dressed lumber at a 
lower price than the carpenter could make it. 

The railroads brought coal from the mines and 
supplied the local markets at a reasonable price. 
This solved the fuel problem, and was an impor- 
tant factor in the settlement and development of 
the prairie districts. The early prejudice against 
the prairie soil had been removed, but the farmer 
still dreaded the chopping and the long distance 
haul of wood as fuel, and the long stretch of 
prairie did not look to him inviting. He was 
quick to see, however, that the use of coal instead 
of wood materially changed the situation. As a 
result the prairie districts were rapidly settled 
and cultivated, regardless of its distance from 
timber, and coal has been used as fuel almost ex- 
clusively. It was found also that the prairie soil 
was as rich and productive as the land adjoining 
the timber. In time the sloughs were drained, 
buildings and fences were erected and well im- 
proved farms appeared upon what was supposed 



134 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

to be waste land, or so far removed that it would 
always remain worthless. 

Artificial drainage has yielded wonderful re- 
sults in the development of the country and the 
increasing of the productive power of the soil. 
The jiresent high state of cultivation would have 
been impossible otherwise. The idea was at first 
ver}^ simple, the farmer using his spade to make 
an open ditch, so that, the water might escape 
from the low places. Then as the idea developed, 
laws were made creating and controlling drain- 
age districts covering large areas under one sys- 
tem. The large dredging-machine came in re- 
sponse to this demand. The farmers followed the 
idea by tiling their farms until every acre is avail- 
able for cultivation. The work of clearing up the 
timber land is still going on. It is found that 
this land is fertile and is well adapted to all kinds 
of grain. In time the trees and stumps will dis- 
appear and this belt lying on both sides of the 
river, which in an early day was supposed to have 
no value except for its timber, will be developed 
into well improved farms. 

During this period agricultural colleges and 
farm journals came into popular recognition. 
Their influence stimulated scientific methods of 
agriculture and stock raising. The farmers of 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 135 

Concord were not slow to adopt the better way. 
The old slip-shod methods were laid aside, and 
doing things at random from the force of habit 
gradually became unpopular. The farmer 
learned how to fertilize and prepare the soil, how 
to select the seed and to plant and cultivate the 
crop. He studied the nature of his soil and the 
best methods of rotation. He studied how to 
select and improve the breed of his live stock in 
order to produce the largest measure of beef or 
pork or mutton with the least amount of grain 
consumed. He learned the art of conserving 
health and comfort in the home. Surface wells 
with their disease germs were discarded and arte- 
sian wells came into general use. Screen doors 
and windows became a necessity, breeding places 
for flies and mosquitoes about the premises were 
removed. These sanitary precautions brought 
better health and less sickness to the community. 
The diseases incident to the new country, such as 
ague, chills, malaria, typhoid and milk-sickness, 
have been overcome almost entirely by eliminating 
the causes. 

The farmers have also been progressive in the 
use of improved farm machinery. They have 
discarded the old and adopted the new. The 
latest improved separator, the harvester, the cul- 



136 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

tivator, the tractor — in fact, every new machine 
or device that has been proven a success in labor 
saving or in doing better work has been welcomed 
and put into service. The inventive genius of 
this country has accomplished great things for 
the farmer. Let him make a list of the farm tools 
which have been discarded during the last fifty 
years, and another list of those which he has 
adopted in their places because they served his 
purpose better, and he will be amazed as well as 
grateful. 

The farmer's wife has also shared in this social 
and economic evolution. Into her home have 
come one by one modern ideas and labor saving 
equipment, which have lifted her above the drudg- 
ery of the past and given her the time and free- 
dom to enjoy life and exercise her social and 
benevolent nature. It is true that in many in- 
stances she has been compelled to wait and to 
continue to drudge in the old way while the im- 
plement house was full of labor-saving machinery 
for the field. This discrimination is rapidly pass- 
ing. Her vision has become enlarged and her 
influence through social organizations and at the 
ballot box is being recognized. 

Concord township is an agricultural and stock- 
raising community. Other lines of industry have 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 



137 



not been attempted to speak of. There are a few 
instances of dairy-farming, all of which have been 
successful. Farming has been confined to the 
staple crops, such as wheat, corn and oats, clover 
and timothv. The farmers have l)een conserva- 




R. F. Karr of Concord Township. Former member of Board of Review of 
Iroquois County. Secretary of Farmers' Elevator. 

tive. The products of the garden and the orchard 
have been limited to the needs of home consump- 
tion, stock-raising to horses, cattle and hogs. 
Sheep have been found to be profitable. Yet it 
is known that the soil and climate are well adapted 



138 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

to other grains which would prove equally remu- 
nerative. The history of the township is a history 
of its farmers. 

The result is, wdth its industrious population, 
its advanced methods of farming, of drainage, 
the use of modern machinery, its advantages of 
soil and climate. Concord township has been de- 
veloped until it has become one of the garden spots 
of the earth — second to none, in a county which 
ranks fourth in the United States. It has before 
it great possibilities — no one can measure its fu- 
ture. It may be only at the threshold of a still 
greater development. It has been proven scien- 
tifically that its soil will admit of much higher 
cultivation, and its productive capacity of a cor- 
responding larger yield. With its present popu- 
lation of more than a thousand people and its 
one hundred and forty or more w^ell improved 
farms, it may be only in its swaddling clothes, 
and its full grown manhood yet to come. 



"THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 139 

The World War 

Concord township has always responded 
promptly to its country's call. In the very begin- 
ning of its history, when the population embraced 
only a few families the young men shouldered 
their rifles and mounted their ponies and went 
forth to protect their homes from a threatened 
attack by the Indians. Its patriotism was again 
proven in the Civil War when it contributed its 
full share in the preservation of the Union. This 
Centennial year affords another example of the 
genuine loj^alty of its citizenship, who are con- 
tributing willingly of their means for the support 
of the government, the women are working daily 
through the various organizations adding their 
bit, while the young men are saying farewell to 
home and family and loved ones, and are crossing 
the Atlantic to face a formidable enemy in war, 
and if necessary to make the supreme sacrifice in 
defense of their country and our country, that 
justice and right may prevail and Democracy 
may be made safe throughout the world and for 
all time. The following is a list of the young men 
who have joined the colors from Concord town- 
ship : . 

Ora Wagner, Corp. Glit. 



110 A CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF 

Fern Scliarlach^ Recruiting Officer^ Detroit. 

Ed Welch, Sergt. Co. D, 64th Infantry. 

Bennett Karr, Headquarters Co. 28th. 

H. H. Strickler, Co. H, 122d Infantry. 

Roy Extine, Sergt. 312th Ammunition Train. 

Gail Lambert, Co. G, ^th Infantry. 

Ruel Dayton, 263d Aero Aviation Squadron. 

Frank Welch, 270th Aero Squadron. 

E. E. Shult, Co. A, 326 Bin. Light Tank. 

Herchel Darling, Battery C, 68th Regt. L. I. S. 

Jesse Stam, 68th Artillery C. A. C. 

Harold Cross, 7th Co., 68th Regt. 

Gail Clark, 7th Co., 68th Regt. 

Joseph Leeds, 7th Co., 68th Regt. 

John Stam, Battery C, 68th Regt. 

Robert Holloway, Casual Co., Replacement Battalion, 
Am. Ex. 

Russel Brown, Co. D, of 339th M. G. Bn. 

Ambrose Haag, Co. H, 62nd Infantry. 

Ray Webster, Co. 316 Machine Gun Inf. 

Roy LePage, Co. C, 3rd Inf. 

Jennings Stroup, Co. 27th, Group 115. 

Mark Tebo, Co. 127, Group 141. 

Marshall Roy, Co. H, 62nd Inf. 

Milo Brown, I. S. of A. Dept. 

Jesse Torbet, Wagon Train No. S. C, Columbia. 

Abe Hoagland, Casual Co., Replacement Battalon, Am. 
Ex. 

Alonzo Easter, honorably discharged. 

Austin Smith, honorably discharged. 

Tracy Freel, Battery B, 317th Field Artillery. 

Basile Freel, Co. 15, Jefferson Barracks. 



'THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 141 

Shannon Underwood^ Co. 71st Inf. 

Robin Wright, 156th Depot Brigade, Co. B, 3rd Pro. Regt. 

Wilber Leak, Co. H, 62nd Inf, 

William Torbet. Benjamin Albright. 

Carl Smith. Eber King. 

Noble Wagner. Patrick Courtney. 

John Garrett. Charles Haag. 

Bert Clark. Eddie Gladd. 

Bert Judy. Warden Lambert. 

Harry Lambert. Amil Albright. 

Henry Miller. P'red Albright. 

This year (1918) marks the darkest period in 
our national Hfe. We are engaged in the most 
gigantic struggle that the world has ever wit- 
nessed — a World War. Millions of men and 
billions of treasure are lined up in the grapple of 
death. Thousands upon thousands of human 
lives have been swallowed up in the struggle. 
Men's hearts are heavy with burden and anxiety. 
A great principle is at stake — human rights and 
justice and freedom as against the forces of mili- 
tary autocracy. Christianity and the long cher- 
ished institutions of free government are threat- 
ened and tested as never before. 

But we should not, nor will not despair, nor 
lose courage, nor give up hope. God still reigns 
over the destiny of nations and justice and right 
and democracy will triumph in the end. Out of 



Ii2 "THE IROQUOIS COUNTRY" 

the struggle will come the freedom of every na- 
tion, large and small, to determine its own high- 
est destiny. The clouds that now darken the earth 
will disappear and the star of hope will blaze out 
from the east chasing the shadows away. The 
millions of brave boys now^ in the trenches and on 
the fields of battle will come sailing home to glad- 
den the hearts of loved ones who now mourn. 
The people of the earth will be lifted up to a 
higher and better civilization. The dove of peace 
will spread its wings over all nations, and the 
Spirit of Him who said, "Peace on earth and 
good Avill unto all men," will take a new hold on 
the hearts of the people and they ^y'\\\ know war 
no more. 



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